Biosafety Assurance
SIUE recognizes the need to protect faculty, staff, students and the community from hazards involving the use of biohazardous material (hazardous biological material) at the University. SIUE, therefore, will comply with the most recent versions of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) "Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant DNA Molecules," the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services "Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories," the "United States Government Policy for Institutional Oversight of Life Sciences Dual Use Research of Concern," and other appropriate state and federal regulations/guidelines.
This policy applies to all university employees and students conducting research and/or educational activities with known or suspected biohazardous material. Responsibility for assuring compliance with the standards for use of biohazardous material shall rest with the Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC). See Policy 1M3 Biohazardous Material Use.
In accordance with the SIUE Policy on Biohazardous Material Use IM3, the IBC has issued an update to the biosafety level regarding human cell lines and tissue. As reported in the 6th Edition of the Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (BMBL) published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, "At a minimum, human and other primate cells should be treated as potentially infectious and handled using BSL-2 practices, engineering controls, and facilities." Following this recommendation, all human cell lines and human tissue (unfixed) will be handled using biosafety level 2 practices regardless of pathogen screening or ATCC rating. Instructions on how to submit an application to the IBC to work with human cell lines can be found here.
This page (the "Overview"), "Protocol Submission Guidelines," and "Related Resources" (linked at the left) provide instructions and resources for you to submit a protocol that will meet requirements and, thus, be reviewed more quickly. Also see the Biohazardous Material FAQs.
If you have questions or concerns, contact researchcompliance@siue.edu, ORP Research Compliance, or the IBC Chair, Dr. Darron Luesse or submit the Graduate School Feedback Form.
For all activities with biohazardous materials, whether covered by the IBC or not, consult the SIUE Emergency Management & Safety Department for other requirements.
