Glen Berkowitz; Christopher Brayton; Dolly Battle; Sandra Silver; Dr. Joan Nichols, Associate

______Community Liaison Committee (CLC) National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories (NEIDL) Boston University Medical Center (BUMC) ______MEETING NOTES Tuesday, October 28, 2008 9:00 am. * Newton Pavilion

Attending Glen Berkowitz; Christopher Brayton; Dolly Battle; Sandra Silver; Dr. Joan Nichols, Associate Director, Galveston National Laboratory, University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB-via phone); Elke Muehlberger, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology, Boston University School of Medicine; Associate Director, Biomolecule Production Core, National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories; Kevin Tuohey, BU Executive Director of Research Compliance; Carla Richards, BUMC Director of Community Relations

Operations Dr. Joan Nichols, Associate Director at Galveston National Laboratory (GNL) at the University of Texas Medical Branch joined the CLC via phone for discussion on emergency preparedness, planning and evacuation during Hurricane Ike. Nichols stated that the University of Texas Medical Branch monitors weather events well before they threaten the Texas coast, tracking tropical depressions as they form with an eye toward phased slow downs or shut down of the lab, if necessary. This process was followed in preparation for Hurricane Ike.

Prior to the Hurricane Ike storm hitting the coast, UTMB team members went into full emergency mode and began a full shut down that included termination of all experiments, decontamination, removal of all pathogens, and moving all tissue into storage. A biocontainment team representing facilities, security, operations, and science, remained at the lab during the hurricane. Nichols noted that the GNL survived the storm suffering no structural damage. Despite significant damage to other buildings on the UTMB campus, none of the high- security laboratories, in the GNL or in other buildings, suffered any biocontainment breaches.

CLC members asked for additional information on the GNL (e.g., square footage) scheduled to open mid-November 2008 and asked that Nichols share her thoughts on lessons learned with respect to phased-shut down/evacuation at the existing BSL-4 lab and how this might impact the GNL. Nichols stated that lessons learned about evacuation and BSL-4 containment included:

 A larger facility makes for easier storage when evacuation is necessary  More expensive equipment should be housed sufficiently above ground.  More than one scientist may need to stay behind as part of the biocontainment team  Differences likely exist between how much time a researcher believes s/he needs to complete work prior to an evacuation and the time, from a public safety standpoint, by which the evacuation needs to take place. Members thanked Dr. Nichols for her time and continued the discussion. Silver wondered whether it was reasonable to expect researchers to terminate long term or critical experiments to evacuate. Elke Muehlberger, Associate Director of the Biomolecule Production Core at the NEIDL said this is precisely why she chose the NEIDL when also given the opportunity to work at the Texas lab; in a BSL-4 lab, you must terminate the experiments in such instances, no matter how much progress has been made. The location of the Texas lab necessarily means there will be more instances when work may need to be ceased and projects terminated.

Berkowitz asked whether NIH’s decision to site the GNL in an area susceptible to hurricanes is an indication of the amount of thought that may have gone into siting the NEIDL in such a densely populated area. Tuohey discussed key elements of BUMC’s initial proposal to the NIH; the merits of which contributed to the awarding of the grant to build the NEIDL on the medical campus.

Research & Training

Elke Muehlberger introduced her work and role as Associate Director of the Biomolecule Production Core at the NEIDL. Muehlberger mentioned her prior experience working BSL-4 containment and the history of research on BSL-4 agents in Germany which began with an outbreak in Marburg during the late 60’s. Muehlberger’s work at the NEIDL will consist of research on Filoviruses such as Marburg and Ebola.

Berkowitz asked for written assurances that bioweapons or other similar harmful pathogens could not be worked on at the NEIDL 20 years from now. Tuohey noted that the NEIDL is dedicated to development of therapeutics, treatments, and vaccines consistent with the charge and mission of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the NIH. There was Bioweapons or classified research will not take place. There was additional discussion about siting of the NEIDL facility and rationale doing BSL-4 work there. Silver noted that general issues of siting and the possibility of working on bioweapons in the future were not relevant to the discussion of Muehlberger’s plan for her research at the NEIDL.

Regulatory Affairs Tuohey provided an update on the Certificate of Occupancy process at the NEIDL including discussions with the Fire and Inspectional Services Departments and upcoming site orientations for first responders.

Members discussed the outcomes of the NIH Blue Ribbon Panel meeting held at Hibernian Hall in Roxbury on Tuesday, October 14,

Administrative Matters Tuohey invited members of the CLC to be BUMC guests’ at Neckties, a fundraiser for Washington Gateway Main Street which will be held on Wednesday, November 12, 2008. More details to follow.

11:00 a.m. Meeting adjourned