Biosafety

Reporting all biosafety errors could improve labs worldwide – and increase public trust in biological research

David Gillum, Kathleen Vogel, Rebecca Moritz The origin of SARS-CoV-2 remains a mystery. One theory is that the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 was transmitted from animals to humans – a fairly common occurrence. Another is that it came from a laboratory accident – a more infrequent circumstance. Around the world, scientists conduct many kinds of biological research experiments – from basic studies exploring how living systems operate to synthesizing novel organisms. Applications range from developing medical treatments to protecting the food supply to modifying bacteria to cleaning up oil spills and much more. A subset of experiments may also involve [...]

jay@irnoise.com2021-10-12T18:12:49-05:00October 12th, 2021|

ABSA in the News: Embrace experimentation in biosecurity governance

Embrace experimentation in biosecurity governance Sam Weiss Evans, Jacob Beal, Kavita Berger, Diederik A. Bleijs, Alessia Cagnetti, Francesca Ceroni, Gerald L. Epstein, Natàlia Garcia-Reyero, David R. Gillum, Graeme Harkess, Nathan J. Hillson, Petra A. M. Hogervorst, Jacob L. Jordan, Geneviève Lacroix, Rebecca Moritz, Seán S. ÓhÉigeartaigh, Megan J. Palmer and Mark W. J. van Passel Science 368 (6487), 138-140. DOI: 10.1126/science.aba2932 Science Vol 368, Issue 6487 10 April 2020 Summary As biological research and its applications rapidly evolve, new attempts at the governance of biology are emerging, challenging traditional assumptions about how science works and who is responsible for [...]

ABSA International2020-05-22T13:36:34-05:00April 10th, 2020|

Decontamination and Reuse of N95 Respirators with Hydrogen Peroxide Vapor to Address Worldwide Personal Protective Equipment Shortages During the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) Pandemic

Decontamination and Reuse of N95 Respirators with Hydrogen Peroxide Vapor to Address Worldwide Personal Protective Equipment Shortages During the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) Pandemic (PDF April 2020) Antony Schwartz et al. Duke University, Applied Biosafety: Journal of ABSA International This manuscript has been accepted to Applied Biosafety, publication forthcoming. This is a peer reviewed preprint and once the final publication is posted on the Sage website ABSA will provide a link for immediate open access. Download

ABSA International2020-05-22T13:36:19-05:00March 27th, 2020|

ABSA in the News: Q&A: Coronavirus and COVID-19 Basics

Lumpen radio host Jamie Trecker interviews biosafety officer Allen Helm The following is an edited transcript of an interview with bacteriologist Allen Helm, a senior biosafety officer in the Office of Research Safety at the University of Chicago, about the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, conducted by host Jamie Trecker. The interview aired on March 11 on Lumpen Radio, WLPN: 105.5 FM. Reprinted with permission. ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ Jamie Trecker: We wanted to try to talk to someone who deals with bugs [pathogens] in the laboratory and has some insight into biosafety. So I’m really pleased to welcome the [...]

ABSA International2020-05-22T13:35:48-05:00March 20th, 2020|

ABSA in the News: Behind the scenes in the biosafety office

CAREER FEATURE 04 March 2020 Behind the scenes in the biosafety office It’s never a dull day for those tasked with keeping biological research safe for all. David Gillum received a flood of phone calls in January, after his university announced that someone in the campus community had been diagnosed with the COVID-19 coronavirus. Gillum is the director of environmental health and safety at Arizona State University in Tempe, and many of the calls were from biosafety officers around the globe. They were seeking his expertise and guidance in the event that their own institutions were in the same [...]

ABSA International2020-05-22T13:35:35-05:00March 5th, 2020|

Dr. Michael Pentella Interviews

Michael A. Pentella, Ph.D., M.S., SM(ASCP), CIC, D(ABMM) Clinical Professor at the University of Iowa, College of Public Health Director of the Iowa State Hygienic Laboratory Arnold G. Wedum Memorial Lecture Award speaker at the 62nd Annual Biosafety and Biosecurity Conference Biosafety in Clinical Laboratories Part I Part II

ABSA International2020-05-22T13:34:39-05:00November 24th, 2019|

Dr Robert Emery Interview

Interview with Robert Emery, DrPH, CBSP University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX Invited speaker at the 62nd Annual Biosafety and Biosecurity Conference Making Your Biosafety Message Stick!

ABSA International2020-05-22T13:34:29-05:00November 19th, 2019|

Applications are now open for CDC’s Laboratory Leadership Service (LLS)

Applications are now open for CDC’s Laboratory Leadership Service (LLS). LLS provides training for laboratory scientists with an emphasis on safety, quality, and leadership. LLS is intended to prepare laboratory leaders to protect the public’s health, safety, and security. LLS fellows enhance their leadership and critical thinking skills to provide rapid, strategic, and effective solutions — applying what they learn from their laboratory research on numerous disease-causing agents to solve real-world health problems. LLS seeks high caliber PhD scientists with two years of post-doctoral experience to apply for the incoming Class of 2020, which begins on July 6, 2020. I [...]

ABSA International2020-05-22T13:34:05-05:00May 7th, 2019|

Building a Biosafety and Biosecurity Relationship with the iGEM and DIY Communities

David Gillum, President-Elect of ABSA International Arizona State University April 8, 2019 “A scientist discovers that which exists; an engineer creates that which never was.” –Theodore von Karmen “It's never too late - in fiction or in life - to revise.” –Nancy Thayer During the past 5 years, I have had the distinct pleasure of attending four iGEM Jamborees in Massachusetts. For those of you who do not know, iGEM is the International Genetically Engineered Machines Competition, an organization that holds the largest gathering of synthetic biologists in the world once a year in Boston [...]

ABSA International2019-04-09T07:07:52-05:00April 9th, 2019|

NIOSH to Celebrate N95 Day with Webinar and Social Media Campaign

NIOSH to promote proper respirator use on #N95Day! NIOSH will be holding a webinar on September 5, 2017 at 1pm Eastern to educate people on proper respirator use and how to pick the appropriate respirator for your needs.

ABSA International2019-03-06T16:36:08-06:00August 18th, 2017|