Department of Biosafety

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The Department of Biosafety is responsible for programs concerning the safe use of recombinant and/or synthetic nucleic acids, infectious agents, and potentially infectious materials such as human sourced materials in the research, teaching, and clinical laboratories at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB). This includes training, auditing, and consulting with researchers, laboratory personnel, faculty, and healthcare staff concerning compliance with the federal and state laws and regulations in these areas.

Our mission is to ensure the safe use of recombinant and/or synthetic nucleic acids, infectious agents (including select agents), and potentially infectious materials in research, teaching, and healthcare activities to eliminate or reduce the potential exposure to personnel or the environment. To accomplish this goal, we maintain an interactive partnership between our department, the principal investigators, the laboratory support staff, UTMB police department, property services, and healthcare staff. In addition, Biosafety, in cooperation with the Institutional Biosafety Committee, is charged with oversight of regulatory compliance at the university regarding the storage and use of hazardous biological materials.

For questions or concerns, please contact us at (409) 772-1781 or Biosafety@utmb.edu.