The Sept. 11 attacks changed the United States. Terrorism became a very real and measurable threat. Ohio State is using laboratory research to help America.
“We are committed to the fierce fight against bioterrorism. Our focus is to understand how certain microbes interact with their hosts,” said Larry Schlesinger, professor in the College of Medicine and Public Health. “We use cutting edge models that are applicable to humans when conducting research on organisms that are of the highest potential threat. From the models, we hope to create new therapies and vaccines to combat these deadly agents.”
Schlesinger was recruited from the University of Iowa to unite the focus of researchers at OSU. There is a driving force from the university to recognize how important the fight against bioterrorism is, and the fight starts from a research level, he said.
Research in the biological laboratories focuses on select Category A agents, Schlesinger said.
“Ten separate investigative groups work in the bio-level three facilities around campus. Each group has a principal investigator and each member of the team is trained and has experience working in bio-level three labs,” Schlesinger said.
Category A agents include anthrax, botulism, plague, smallpox, tularemia and viral hemorrhagic fevers, according to the Center for Disease Control’s Web site.
“Some focus is on tuberculosis, which is not a Category A agent. Tuberculosis is most opportunistic when it is being inhaled. It is being studied as an aerosol agent,” Schlesinger said.
The West Campus biocontainment facility was a subject of criticism this past summer. However, bio-level three laboratories already existed on campus.
“Biocontainment facilities have been on campus for decades. Recent events in the U.S. have brought more attention to bio-level three facilities,” Schlesinger said. “There is an increase in awareness about infectious disease research. Level three facilities’ track records have not changed; public awareness has.”
The number of level three laboratories on campus and their location cannot be revealed because of safety issues, said Cecil Smith, associate vice president for the department of facilities and head of the environment and health and safety division.
“From the safety side of things not much has to be taken into consideration. Some laboratories are built in urban areas, and there has never been a leak at any level three facilities,” said Von Robuck, spokesman for the Center for Disease Control.
The office of facility and planning take all space requirements into account when they fill a department’s request. With more than two bio-level three labs on campus, the appropriate experts are always consulted – especially when hazardous materials are involved, said Bernard Costantino of the office of facilities planning and development.
“All of our bio-containment facilities meet the same set of requirements,” Smith said. “Imagine a laboratory with an outer and inner envelope that are both air tight and do not allow any penetrations into these envelopes. There is a special filtration setup for the air in the room, which will be exhausted through another mechanical system.”
The laboratory is under negative pressure. If there were any penetration into the envelope, air would be flowing into the laboratory. The laboratory acts as a vacuum, so it sucks in when any door opens, Smith said.
“When you enter the laboratory there are two sets of doors, the changing area is between them. The doors interlock, so it is impossible for both sets of doors to be open at the same time,” Smith said.
The vast majority of lab work and all work involving pathogens are done inside bio-safety cabinets, Smith said.
“All of the people who work in the lab have very specific training. A number of people must sign off to certify that training. Everyone here has level three experience, some even have level four,” Smith said. “The only people working in these labs are professors, doctorate students and post-docs.”
All of the training and all of the safety measures involved in a level three laboratory leave practically no potential for a spill, Robuck said.
“The select agent program requires every lab that works with Category A agents to register through the Department of Justice,”Robuck said. “The Department of Justice then performs regular inspections of the lab.”
The Institutional Bio-Safety Committee and the BSL-III Advisory group overlook all of the level three laboratories on campus, Smith said.
“Veterinarians, facilities managers, bio-safety personnel – all sit on these committees. When issues come up, our group collaborates to change procedures or establish protocols,” Smith said.
The committees develop and operate under strict guidelines that are effective and efficient. The groups attend national meetings to keep informed of all working protocols and safety issues, Schlesinger said.
Paula Bryant, assistant professor in the College of Medicine and Public Health, works in the level three facilities.
“I conduct research with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. We are trying to understand how cell-mediated immune responses to MTB infection are triggered,” Bryant said. “I feel completely safe working with MTB in the OSU BSL-III facilities, which are 100 percent certified.”
John Gunn, an associate professor in the College of Health and Public Medicine, works with salmonella and francisella tularensis agents in the level three laboratories around campus.
“Students should take pride in the fact that campus researchers are asking never before asked biological questions and performing experiments to answer those questions,” Gunn said. “I think interest is heightened when they know that the researchers are focused on the control of infectious diseases and toward our nation’s biodefense.”
