Construction to begin in fall for MU biocontainment lab

A “box within a box,” used to research some of the world’s dangerous airborne pathogens, will be built at MU beginning in August.

The Missouri Regional Biocontainment Laboratory, dedicated to the study of such pathogens as anthrax and tuberculosis, will be constructed on MU’s East Campus off Rollins Road.

Design of the facility is almost complete, and with construction due to begin this year, the expected completion date is late 2007 or early 2008.

The Regional Biocontainment Laboratory, or RBL, is one of 13 to be built around the country. The National Institutes of Health, which awarded the grant to MU in October 2003, is picking up the $12 million price tag for the more than 23,000-square-foot center.

For scientists and the government, the need for these facilities became clear after 9/11 and the anthrax attacks that followed.

“We became familiar with terms such as bioterrorism, biosecurity and biodefense,” said Joe Kornegay, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine at MU.

The Missouri RBL will strive toward providing effective therapies, vaccines and detection methods for diseases spread through bioterror, as well as naturally occurring diseases such as the West Nile Virus and SARS.

The infectious nature of the organisms that will be handled requires a highly specialized design of the general building and the laboratories within. The BSL-3 facility will be a self-contained unit, with its own air supply, filters, power supply, decontamination and disposal systems. There will also be backups for the vital systems such as power and air.

“A box within a box ensures there is no escape of organisms,” said Lela Riley, professor of veterinary pathology and a presenter at last Thursday’s public forum on the RBL and a proposed national bio- and agrodefense facility. She also said there has never been a release of organisms from any of the biosecurity centers around the country.

In response to questions at the forum about the security of the facility, Riley said all credentials will be checked, unauthorized vehicles will be barred from entering the facilities parameters, and the scientists handling the more volatile and dangerous organisms will be subject to an FBI check.

Most of Thursday’s public forum focused on the controversial proposal of the national bio- and agrodefense center, but the initial presentation was on the RBL. Presenters showed the public the possible economic benefits and prestige that could arise from the center’s presence in Columbia.

Once construction is complete, the center will provide 250 new jobs, Riley said. But it is the educational potential that was most lauded.

“The RBL will allow us to train the next generation of biodefense scientists,” Riley said.