Author: Marshall Lyon MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease Chair Institutional Biosafety Committee
I often hear my colleagues complain about safety training and regulatory red tape all while blissfully unaware of the fact that I chair the Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) for the University. To be fair, their comments are equally directed at the Institutional Review Board (IRB) or the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). Their complaints are somewhat valid usually about training which overlaps with healthcare training or some other federally mandated safety training. I get it! There are a lot of ongoing education and training that has to be completed in order to stay certified for this or that. However, until there’s better harmonization across platforms there will continue to be overlap in education.
These committees – IBC, IRB, and IACUC – are mandated by the NIH for institutions that received federal funding. Additionally, the oversight must be applied evenly regardless of whether the research project in question is federally funded. The IBC is tasked with overseeing research involving recombinant or synthetic nucleic acids. “According to NIH guidelines, recombinant and synthetic nucleic acids are defined as (1) molecules that are a constructed by joining nucleic acid molecules, and we can replicate in a living cell, or (2) nucleic acid molecules that are chemically or by other means, synthesized or amplified, including those that are chemically or otherwise modified, but can base pair with naturally occurring nucleic acid molecules, i.e. synthetic nucleic acids, or (3) molecules that result from the replication of those described in (1) or (2). Failure to comply with these requirements, may result in suspension or termination of an award for recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid molecule research at the organization,” (NIH Grants Policy Statement, https://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/nihgps/nihgps.pdf) This definition of recombinant nucleic acid is broad enough to include most molecular biology research currently conducted at Emory
In separate documents from NIH the IBC, IRB, and IACUC are all tasked with educating researchers on NIH rules and regulations applicable to their domains of oversight. These committees are comprised of staff and faculty from across Emory University who volunteer their time. Personally, I find reviewing projects and hearing about the work being done at Emory to be immensely interesting. It does take a few hours to review submissions to ensure research is being conducted safely for involved staff and the community at large. These committees are always in need of membership. So, consider reaching out to the respective offices to volunteer.
As the competition for federal grants gets more contentious, it’s important that we all do our best to remain in compliance with NIH guidelines. This means completing training and renewing protocols in a timely manner. Remember this not only affects your grant application but all those being submitted across Emory University.