Scientists hone biosafety skills at UTMB

GALVESTON — Despite the recent proliferation of biocontainment laboratories, few institutions offer the highly specialized training required to work safely in these environments.

There are a handful of training centers in the United States, including the University of Texas Medical Branch. The medical branch is the only center that offers the training free of charge.

Recently, the National Biocontainment Training Center’s Laboratory Biosafety Training Program at the medical branch hosted 17 BSL-3 directors and future directors from the Middle East, Europe, Africa and Latin America who learned about working in and managing Biosafety Level 3 laboratories.

In BSL-3 laboratories, scientists work with such agents as West Nile virus, SARS, Rift Valley fever and yellow fever viruses. The training involves classroom work and hands-on demonstrations in simulated lab environments.

The LBTP is the laboratory training component of the federally funded National Biocontainment Training Center at the medical branch led by Anne-Sophie Brocard and Dr. Thomas G. Ksiazek.

“There are only so many scientists that are trained to work in these labs,” Brocard, an environmental health and safety consultant and assistant professor in the department of pathology, said.

“So, additional people are needed and that’s where the training becomes critical.”

Brocard directs the biosafety training program. More than 1,600 scientists and biosafety professionals from 20 countries have received training since the program began in 2005. Along with the expansion in the number of biocontainment labs comes an increasing need for training.

“It’s nice to have a beautiful lab with all the bells and whistles,” Brocard said. “But, if you can’t you don’t have qualified personnel to work in them, what have you accomplished? That’s where we help support other institutions.”

Dr. Maurice Demanou, a virologist and director of the BSL-3 lab at the Centre Pasteur of Cameroon in the Ministry of Public Health, who attended the recent training, agrees.

“A lab may be built but it may not really be operational because of lack of training,” Demanou said.

Many countries that have labs do not have resources to train technicians and scientists. Demanou, for example, spent a year abroad to develop the skills needed to start working in his lab.

The World Health Organization organized the group that trained at the medical branch.

In the past, Brocard said, “We’ve always done on-site and off site training, but this is the first big group that we’ve had on campus and it’s the first group attached to an organization like WHO. Up to now, it was individual institutions. I think word got out that we had a good program.”

Starting Sept. 1, the U.S. Department of Defense National Biocontainment Training Center will pay for biocontainment training at the medical branch for anyone associated with an operating lab in most countries.

Previously, the department covered training costs only for researchers associated with public and private labs operated by U.S. entities. Transportation and lodging costs are not included.

The underlying reason for the training is to enable scientists to improve prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases.

“Basic research is needed because you need to understand the agents,” Brocard said.

“Then you need to look at preventive measures like vaccine development and then you need to look at treatments.

“You need to develop new means and quicker means of doing good diagnostics. For example, the army is interested in field diagnostics for their soldiers, tests they can administer in the middle of nowhere and get an accurate result.

“There are a lot of reasons why you would need research facilities.”