Description

As mandated by the NIH Guidelines, the CHI University Institutional Biosafety Committee (CU IBC) is responsible for reviewing all University research and teaching activities that involve the use of biological agents and are conducted by faculty, staff, students and/or visiting scientists on University property. Biological agents are defined as microorganisms, pathogen, recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid molecules, martials derived from human and non-human primates, biological toxins, or transgenic mice.

Mission

The CU IBC seeks to ensure that all activities involving biological agents and facilities used to conduct such activities are in compliance with all external regulations, and applicable University policies. It also represents the interests of surrounding community with respect to public health and protection of the environment.

The IBC therefore is responsible for examination of a number of matters, including:

Containment levels
Facilities
Institutional procedures and practices
Training and expertise of personnel

The IBC also:

Notify the PI of IBC review and approval
Set containment levels and modify containment levels for ongoing experiments as warranted
Implement contingency plans for handling accidental spills and personnel contamination resulting from recombinant DNA research
Report to institutional officials within 30 days any: Substantial problems or violations of the NIH Guidelines; and Significant research related accidents or illnesses

Resources

IBC Members and Voting Power

Membership Roster

Ex-officio, voting members:

Chief EHS Officer
Veterinarian
Safety Officer

Ex-officio, alternate voting members:

Biosafety Specialist
Veterinarian

Ex-officio, Non-voting members:

Provost
Executive Vice President
Director BRC

Investigator Responsibility

NIH Guidelines (Section IV-B-7)

The Principal Investigator is responsible for full compliance with the NIH Guidelines in the conduct of research involving recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid molecules, including ensuring that reporting requirements are fulfilled. The Principal Investigator is accountable for any reporting lapses.

Principal Investigators are responsible for ensuring IBC review of the following:

Animal experiments requiring IBC approval with any of the above (prior to IACUC approval)
Biological Toxins (Select Agent toxins below the permissible toxin amount)
Human and Non-human Primate: blood, body fluids, tissues and primary or established cell lines
Pathogens/Microorganisms: Risk Group 1 or higher
Recombinant or Synthetic DNA work as defined by the NIH Guidelines

Google Test link

The NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant DNA

Trainings

To ensure proper safety, the IBC has provided the following training:

Policy and Plan

The following policies and plans are in place for the IBC:

IBC Mettings

The IBC meets at least once a year. Submissions must be received by close of business (5:00 p.m.) at least 10 days prior for consideration at the IBC meeting.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to the Biosafety Specialist, Kala Mignone - kala@chiu.edu