For the first time since going “hot,” UTMB’s Galveston National Laboratory opened its tightly secured doors to members of the media on Sept. 4. The event coincided with a visit from U.S. Senator John Cornyn, who expressed his admiration for the work of the scientists on his tour of the facility.
Inside Galveston's high-security biocontainment lab, scientists are researching some of the most frightening diseases and biological agents in the world. Programs operating out of the National Laboratory work to develop therapies, vaccines and tests to diagnose naturally occurring diseases, as well as ones that might be used as weapons. Research at the lab includes work with influenza, anthrax, West Nile, chikunguya and Ebola.
Cornyn and the media got to view first-hand the BSL-4’s superdense concrete covered with an impermeable epoxy and the negative pressure ventilation that keeps air carrying pathogens from circulating through the building. They saw biohazard suits and the chemical showers that ensure researchers who work with the germs don’t carry their work home with them.
Before starting the tour, precautions were taken to ensure security during the media visit, including covering lab room numbers and the names of researchers.
“We didn’t realize how timely it would be in light of what’s happening in the news,” Cornyn said. “If there is an outbreak anywhere in the world, it can spread anywhere else in the world. That demonstrates the critical importance of this Galveston national lab.”
At a news conference following his tour, Cornyn said he supported appropriating more funding to the Galveston National Laboratory through tools such as a grant from the National Institutes of Health. "We can all sleep a little easier knowing that we have dedicated scientists and hardworking Texans here trying to find new ways to protect our nation from deadly diseases and serious biological agents," said Cornyn.