Biosafety Committee
As required under guidelines from the National Institutes of Health, the MBL’s Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) reviews MBL research that involves the use of parasites, recombinant DNA, and materials requiring biosafety precautions. IBC responsibilities and research areas requiring approval are described on the NIH website.
MBL’s Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) Charter
Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) Policy & Procedures Manual
NIH Biosafety Guidelines
MBL’s Environmental Health & Safety Office
The Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) Office at the MBL is responsible for radiation safety, chemical safety, occupational health and safety, chemical and biological waste management, biosafety/rDNA research, and environmental compliance. Researchers must contact the EH&S Office in advance if they wish to use radioactive materials or acutely hazardous chemicals and we encourage you to become familiar with the MBL’s Biosafety Manual while actively engaged in scientific research at the MBL.
Application Form:
AMENDMENTS: All changes to existing protocols must be approved by the IBC. Please submit amendments using this same application and ONLY describe changes to the existing, approved protocol. Please note that amended protocols will expire 3 years after the initial approval.
If vertebrate animals will be used with this parasite you must also submit an application for the use of vertebrate animals to the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.
MBL Biosafety Committee
Federal Regulations (NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant or Synthetic Nucleic Acid Molecules) require that membership of the IBC include at a minimum, five members, who collectively have experience in general issues of laboratory biosafety, use of infectious materials, and expertise in recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid molecule technology and the capability to assess the safety of such research and identify any potential risk to public health or the environment. The membership requirement includes, but is not limited to: a faculty member with expertise in plant, plant pathogen, or plant pest containment principles; a faculty member with expertise in animal containment principles, gene therapy in animals, viral pathogens and vectors, microbial pathogens, biotoxins and biotechnology; a member of the laboratory technical staff; and two members not affiliated with the institution (apart from their membership on the committee) who represent the interest of the surrounding community with respect to health and protection of the environment.
David Mark Welch, IBC Chair and Senior Scientist, MBL
Jenifer Alai, Chemistry Faculty, Cape Cod Community College
Christine Brothers, Science Department Head, Falmouth Public Schools.
Zoe Cardon, Senior Scientist, MBL
Mark Hayn, Senior Scientist, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Eric Jensen, Biosafety Officer and EHS Manager, MBL
Alan Kuzirian, Senior Scientist Emeritus, MBL
Rudolf Oldenbourg, Senior Scientist, MBL
Erin Pyszka, IBC Administrator, MBL
As of March 2024