Biological Safety

The EH&S Biological Use Authorization (BUA) application has undergone major revisions with the goal to clarify and improve the questions necessary for the biosafety risk assessment for biohazardous research approval by the Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) and EH&S Biological Safety. These revisions will reduce the review time and follow-up communication on application gaps. The application format, submission, and approval process remain the same.

The main changes include:

Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) launched the revamped course Bloodborne Pathogens (BBP) for Researchers Online! The updated version offers enhanced language, visuals, and interactivity to provide a more engaging and informative learning experience. This updated course reflects the latest best practices and regulatory requirements, ensuring that lab workers, researchers, professors, and students receive the most relevant and valuable training possible.

Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) reminds researchers that all research with biohazardous agents at the University of Washington requires review and approval by the Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC), and a Biological Use Authorization (BUA) from EH&S is required.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) published revisions to the NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant or Synthetic Nucleic Acid Molecules (NIH Guidelines). The published changes include specific considerations and requirements for conducting research involving gene drive modified organisms (GDMOs) and stipulates that a minimum of biosafety level 2 (BSL-2) is required for conducting research with GDMOs.