Purpose
The purpose of the Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) is to establish and maintain an effective Biological Safety Program in order to protect employees, students and the community from potential health hazards. This program is intended to promote the safe conduct of research that includes the use of potentially hazardous materials and applies to all university employees and students engaged in such research.
Per NIH Guidelines, any research that includes the use of any materials with known biohazardous risk, any recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid molecules (R/sNA), or the creation and/or use of organisms and viruses containing R/sNA molecules, must be reviewed by the IBC. Examples of materials with known biohazardous risk include microorganisms/potentially infectious material, biological toxins, human and non-human primate materials, whole animals/animal material, arthropods, toxic or transgenic plants or plant pathogens, and nanoparticles.
IBC Review Process
Prior to initiating research with potentially hazardous materials, the lead faculty investigator must have their project reviewed by the IBC. A short Materials Survey will help determine which projects will require submission of a protocol and a detailed review by the committee. For those projects that require a full protocol, RSP and EH&S will consult the lead faculty investigator as they complete and submit their protocol through the Hazard Safety module on the Cayuse platform.
Request EH&S Review
At any time, a faculty investigator may request a review of their laboratory or research facilities for guidance from the Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) office. Please send an email to biosafety@csun.edu to initiate this process.
Additional Resources
CITI: New training modules have been added to our subscription with the CITI Program covering a variety of important topics in Biosafety/Biosecurity and Risk Management. These modules are available to all CSUN faculty, staff, and students at no cost.
| Institutional Biosafety Committee | |
|---|---|
| Marc Felix (Biosafety Officer) | Environmental Health and Safety |
| David Bermudes (Chair) | Biology |
| Jessica Vey | Chemistry and Biochemistry |
| Yoshie Hanzawa | Biology |
| TBD | Community Member |
| Sherrie Hixon (Administrator) | Research and Sponsored Programs |
| Mitz Alejandria (Administrator) | Research and Sponsored Programs |
