With the dedication of the Galveston National Laboratory today, we are embarking on a journey with far-reaching consequences, not only for the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, but also for the whole Galveston community and for the nation and the world at large.
The building, magnificent as it is, is only the starting point for a journey of discovery whose ultimate aim is to make the world a safer place.
The scientists who will work there have a well-defined mission — to investigate infectious agents responsible for newly emerging diseases and to find new ways in which the threat of such diseases, whether arising naturally or through malevolent means, can be mitigated.
As one of only two national biocontainment laboratories in the United States, and also as the first to approach operational status, the Galveston National Laboratory is adding to Galveston Island’s legacy of firsts.
The island was the first place in Texas to sport electric lights and to publish a daily newspaper, and it is home to the state’s first medical and nursing schools.
Galveston also has a history of infectious disease outbreaks, including yellow fever and bubonic plague.
Walk through the city’s cemeteries and you can learn the dates of past infectious disease outbreaks by reading the headstones.
Even today, these diseases are not vanquished in all parts of the world and, along with more “modern” diseases such as SARS and West Nile fever, they represent the types of infection that the new lab will study and help to alleviate in the future.
In addition to increasing our understanding of the world’s most potent pathogens and aiding in efforts to develop vaccines against them, the Galveston National Laboratory will be a resource for the international community of infectious-disease scientists.
It will become a global resource for the training of the next generation of infectious-disease scientists. Closer to home, it will contribute to the development of biomedical sciences and related industry in this corner of Texas, and significantly fuel the local economy.
Much has been written about the safety of the building and the research that will be done within it.
Designed to withstand the strongest of hurricanes, it passed its first test when Hurricane Ike struck the island Sept. 13.
The laboratory sustained no significant damage and, indeed, was a resource that helped to support the rest of the campus.
Security measures include many card-entry and keypad checkpoints, coupled with unique biometry readers, intensive internal and external camera surveillance, and a 200-foot vehicle-free safety zone surrounding the building. Campus and community police officers and other first responders receive special training on security and safety issues involving the laboratory.
The national laboratory would not be possible without the trust and support of the community, including, in particular, two local citizen groups.
One, titled the Community Liaison Committee, promotes public participation and transparency of the lab and advises university and Galveston National Laboratory leadership on issues important to the community.
The other, titled the Community Advisory Board, acts as a conduit informing the community about developments in UTMB’s biocontainment research programs.
It’s a tribute to the community and university that such a wonderful facility as the Galveston National Lab can hold its grand opening in the shadow of one of the greatest disasters to befall this beautiful island.
Just as it will brighten the future of infectious-disease research, the laboratory will contribute to a brighter future for Galveston.
Stanley Lemon holds the John Sealy distinguished university chair in human infections and immunity and is director of the Institute for Human Infections and Immunity at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.
