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By Category: Biosafety

Army Defers Plan for Maryland Biodefense Site

(Global Security Newswire) The U.S. Army has deferred the building of a 492,000-square-foot, $600 million biodefense facility at Fort Detrick in Maryland prior to the completion of an assessment of research facilities already available around the nation, the Gazette reported last week. The planned Medical Countermeasures Test and Evaluation Facility was intended to be a Read More »

March 8, 2012
| Filed under North America, Biosafety, Countermeasures, Policy & Initiatives, and Research
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Research on contagious H5N1 viruses: Space suits needed?

(CIDRAP News) Using the highest level of safety precautions for research on H5N1 viruses that can spread in mammals will certainly slow the advance of science, but it’s worth it in view of the grave risks involved, say commentators …

March 7, 2012
| Filed under North America, Biosafety, Policy & Initiatives, and Research
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Pros and Cons Debated of Increasing Biosecurity in Labs Working With Engineered Bird Flu Viruses

(Science Now) Four papers published today in the online, open access journal mBio offer wide-ranging perspectives about the biocontainment facilities that researchers should use to work with bird flu viruses that can transmit in mammals.

March 7, 2012
| Filed under Europe, North America, Biosafety, International, Policy & Initiatives, and Research
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Mobile Medical Laboratory Brings High-Complexity Infectious Disease Testing to …

(DARKDaily.com – Laboratory News) Its design meets the requirements for biosafety level 3 certification “As far as we are aware, our laboratory truck is the first mobile laboratory of its kind to receive official certification in this biosafety class,” stated Schoen.

March 6, 2012
| Filed under Africa, Europe, Biosafety, and Public Health
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New H5N1 viruses: How to balance risk of escape with benefits of research?

(EurekAlert!) In the controversy surrounding the newly developed strains of avian H5N1 flu viruses, scientists and policy makers are struggling with one question in particular: what level of biosafety is best for studying these potentially lethal strains of …