BSL-3 Practices Core

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PROJECT ABSTRACT The University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) Regional Biocontainment Laboratory (RBL) mission is to maintain a facility for research that requires biosafety level-3 (BSL-3) or animal (ABSL-3) containment. The UTHSC RBL has the appropriate management team, staff, engineering controls, equipment, and facilities to support bacterial, viral, and fungal research programs necessitating BSL-2, BSL-3, ABSL-2 and ABSL-3 containment; however, the mission of the RBL is to facilitate BSL-3 and ABSL-3 research. As an NIH funded facility, the priority for use of the facility is for those with NIH funding requiring BSL-3 or ABSL-3 containment. Hence, the BSL-3 Practices Core is a cornerstone of all facility management, operations and research-related activities that take place in the UTHSC RBL. The rationale for having a BSL-3 Practices Core is (1) that it will integrate the management of operations and training for BSL-3 pathogens of which some are select agents, (2) promotes communication between Research Safety Affairs, UTREC (UTHSC Regional Biocontainment Laboratory Executive Committee) and the RBL Managers, and (3) harmonize compliance, security, individual competency, and practices across our RBL Staff and our users. Hence this will increase efficiency of services provided for the BSL-3 practices. The major aims and goals for the BSL-3 Practices Core in this UC7 application are as follows. This core is significant as biosafety, biosecurity, and BSL-3 practices for BSL-3 research is integrated into every aspect of the UTHSC RBL and is critical and essential for its function. The objectives of the BSL-3 Practices Core are to: Objective 1. To enhance the efficiency of the UTHSC RBL in its support of research programs and enhance the research productivity of the investigators who may use the RBL; Objective 2. Management and operation of the RBL BSL-3 Practices Core; and Objective 3. To ensure a safe and secure work environment within the RBL through training, provision of SOPs, support in development of SOPs, select agent inventory and accountability.