Facility Management Maintenance Operations Core

The Biocontainment Operations core (Core 1) contributes to the operation and support of the high-containment research needs of the Regional Biocontainment Laboratory (RBL) at the Tulane National Primate Research Center (TNPRC). This core provides comprehensive services, available to core and affiliate scientists, to coordinate all aspects of high-containment research involving Risk Group 3 pathogens, select agents, and toxins and ensure compliance and efficient use of high-containment spaces. By coordinating facilities and research-related needs that must be integrated according to complex procedures and regulatory requirements in this high- containment research environment, Biocontainment Operations comprehensively supports investigators performing complex, high risk, and highly regulated research within the high- containment spaces in the RBL, including two Biosafety Level 3 (BSL-3) spaces, the Animal Biosafety Level 3 (ABSL-3) complex, and supporting areas. Additionally, the core is host to the TNPRC Quality Assurance Program, which provides services essential for attainment of rigorous and reproducible scientific data across all research activities at the TNPRC through implementation of quality standards guided by Good Laboratory Practices. The Specific Aims for this proposal include: (1) Develop an efficient and standardized approach to preventative maintenance and quality control of critical pieces of biocontainment equipment within the TNPRC RBL structure to include building systems, decontamination equipment, and primary containment equipment. (2) Develop practices for laboratory level equipment for biocontainment research procedures to ensure high levels of quality assurance and quality control to provide guarantee of rigor and reproducibility for data generated through studies. (3) Ensure adaptability to changing needs of the response environment to expand normal operating capacities during a public health, pandemic response, or biodefense response to meet critical biosafety measures and select agent requirements. The proposed UC7 will enhance the management of core maintenance, preventative maintenance, and operations and ensure continuity of support for all high- containment research operations with the highest level of biosafety compliance expertise and quality assurance oversight focused on ensuring rigor and reproducibility. Furthermore, these funds will guarantee that the TNPRC RBL is ready and able to support the incredible surge of capacity demand in the face of future public health, biodefense, and pandemic response needs.