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KSU hosts bioscience media dayBy Doug Rich Kansas State University has one biosecurity education and research facility nearly ready for full operation and high hopes for a national biosecurity facility being built on the north edge of their campus. At a recent media day event, K-State officials gave a status report on their Biosecurity Research Institute (BRI) housed in Pat Roberts Hall and gave an overview of their efforts to attract a National Bio and Agro-defense facility (NBAF) to Manhattan, Kan. Scott Rusk, Director of Pat Roberts Hall, said the BRI is currently going through the validation and registration process before it becomes fully operational. Rusk said they are 10 to 12 weeks away from completing the validation and re-validation process. It may be 18 months to two years before the regulatory compliance process is finished and active research projects begin. However, Rusk said they might start some limited research projects within the next few weeks. "We are learning the building," Rusk said. "Safety and regulatory compliance procedures are being written." In his remarks to the media, Rusk stressed the safety features included in the BRI facility, which is a Biosafety Level (BSL) three facility. The BRI has six independent air-handling systems and 131 HEPA filter housings. It has 2,391 monitoring points and 779 alarm points along with security controlled access. Waste management is handled with an effluent decontamination system, WR2 tissue digesters, and a blend tank for effluent management. The ability to safely manage a BSL Level three facility will be an important sales tool as K-State tries to attract a National Bio and Agro-defense facility to Kansas. Ron Trewyn, vice-president for research at K-State, said such a facility is needed to fill a significant gap in U.S. security. A new NBAF would replace an aging Plum Island Animal Disease Center. "Plum Island is too small to do all of the work that is needed," Trewyn said. Out of the 29 original proposals, Manhattan, Kan., is one of the remaining six sites under consideration. The others are Athens, Ga.; Butner, N.C.; San Antonio, Texas; Flora, Miss.; and Plum Island, N.Y. A draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for each site will be published soon. Trewyn said the draft EIS statements should be ready for publication in early June. After the EIS is published, there will be a 60-day public comment period. The final EIS will be published sometime this fall and the final decision on the location for the NBAF will be made in October. If Manhattan were chosen as the site for the $450 million, 550,000-square-foot facility, it would be built just north of Pat Roberts Hall. An 11-member site selection team has already visited the site to collect relevant information. The federal biocontainment laboratory will be used to study foreign animal diseases, including animal diseases transmitted to people. It also would be used for development of vaccines and other countermeasures and to facilitate vaccine licensing. Some groups have expressed concerns about having such a high-risk facility right in the middle of livestock production industry in this country. Jerry Jaax, associate vice president for research compliance and university veterinarian, noted the Center for Disease Control (CDC) has been located in Atlanta, Ga., for years without an incident. Jaax added there have been no escapes from Plum Island, which is an old and retrofitted facility. He said comparing Plum Island to the new NBAF would be like comparing a Model T to a Ferrari. "I wish we had conquered infectious diseases, but we haven't," Jaax said. "We still have a big need for a facility like this." Doug Rich can be reached by phone at 785-749-5304 or by e-mail at richhpj@aol.com. 6/9/08 Date: 6/5/08
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