Institutional Biosafety Committee

Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC)

The purpose of the Kent State University (KSU) Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) is to provide structured programming for teaching and/or research activities that involve recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid molecules and biohazardous materials, agents, and toxins, conducted under the auspices of KSU or are sponsored by KSU. Institutions that receive support from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for recombinant or synthetic nucleic research are required to establish and register an IBC with the NIH Office of Biotechnology Activities (OBA) in compliance with the NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant DNA Molecules (NIH Guidelines).

The IBC is responsible for the oversight, administration, and review of KSU laboratory policies, practices, and projects involving teaching and research with recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid molecules and other potentially hazardous materials that may pose health, safety, or environmental risks. The IBC assists and advises the KSU Environmental Health and Safety Office, principal investigators (PIs), Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, Institutional Review Boards, and other researchers to ensure that the aspects of teaching and/or research that fall within the purview of the IBC are conducted using established biosafety standards, principles, and work authorizations. Such advice includes worker safety, public health, prevention of human exposure to biological hazards, and environmental protection, ethics, and compliance with applicable biosafety standards and KSU Policies. The IBC is hereby-delegated authority to oversee teaching and/or research and approve laboratory protocols involving, but not limited to:

• Human cells, tissues, organs, blood, and bodily fluids.
• Any use of recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid encoding products dangerous to humans.
• Biological agents (animal, plant, bacterial, viral, prion, and/or their products) designated as risk group 1 in which genetic alteration with external genomic or synthetic nucleic acids extend or enhance their normal biological function.
• Biological agents (animal, plant, bacterial, viral, prion, and/or their products) designated as risk group 2.
• Transfected and/or transformed cell lines that pose human risk.

The IBC will investigate any concern, including those related to accidents, injuries or illness that may have resulted from the use of recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid molecules and biohazardous materials, agents, and toxins. If any valid concern or deviation from the NIH Guidelines or established policy, procedure, sound practice or protocol is found, the findings will be reported to the Principal Investigator, VPR, and relevant supporting units. Issues will be reported to the NIH according to NIH Policy.