Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC)

GWU has established an Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) to review research for certain agents to ensure safety in biological laboratories.  The NIH publication “Guidelines for Research involving Recombinant DNA Molecules” requires IBC review for most types of rDNA work and the CDC publication “Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (BMBL)” encourages IBC review for infectious agents.  The GWU IBC reviews all work with the following agents:

•    Pathogens – Any agent that can cause disease in healthy human adults (BSL2 or higher)

•    Recombinant DNA - molecules that are constructed outside living cells by joining natural or synthetic DNA segments to DNA molecules that can replicate in a living cell, and the molecules that result from the replication of those cells

•    Select Agents - Pathogens or toxins deemed by the CDC or US Department of Agriculture to pose a high risk to human, animal or plant health and could be utilized for terrorist activity (see list)

 If your work, regardless of funding, meets the above definitions, you must submit those projects to the IBC for review.  The following items must be submitted for each type of work:

1. IBC registration form – This is a form fill-able document which includes: identification and use of agents, risk assessment and assignment of containment.  The IBC registration form guide  should be used to help you fill out the form correctly and avoid delays in approval.

2. The specific aims of the research

3. Research design and methods – This document must also address (it can be an addendum) any hazards with the work such as protective equipment, safety practices, BSC use, disinfection, waste removal, etc.

 Note: Section 5 of the registration form may prompt you to submit other documents if you work with pathogens or use pathogens with animals

Some guidance for submission:  Submissions should be based on the type of work being done and not necessarily according to funding.  For instance, you may have multiple grants that have virtually the same design and methods and differ only in the insertion code.  In this case you may want to submit one form and one set of methods and submit only separate aims for each grant.

Please send these items electronically to adye2@gwu.edu to be reviewed at an upcoming IBC meeting.  Please make submissions at least 2 weeks prior to a meeting (see meeting info below). Submitters are always welcome to come to the meetings to explain their research and aid the IBC with the review.  For more information on the IBC and the review process see appendix A of the Biosafety Manual.

Upcoming IBC meetings are at 3:00 in 305H Himmelfarb Library on the following dates: 5/28, 6/25, 7/23, 8/27 (2008)

 Other IBC information

§         Annual review and amendments