Resources
Biosafety Level-4 Laboratory
A special advantage in their life-saving quest of the Department of Virology and Immunology’s state-of-the-art facilities include the nation’s only privately owned biosafety level four (BSL-4) maximum containment laboratory. This facility – which has proven especially beneficial in support of the nation’s biodefense efforts – allows Institute scientists to safely study lethal pathogens for which there currently is no known treatment or cure.
The BSL-4 full-suit lab has been certified by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for work on human and animal pathogens. Access to the BSL-4 area is controlled. The lab satisfies safety and security requirements for numerous federal organizations. The laboratory contains Class IIB Biological Safety hoods, low-, high- and ultra-speed centrifuges equipped with both analytical and preparative scale rotors, low-speed centrifuges and microfuges, 4C refrigerators, -20C and -80C freezers.