UC Davis' Planned $190 Million Biodefense Lab Faces First Conflict

---

Researched by Industrialinfo.com (Industrial Information Resources, Incorporated; Houston, Texas). After first announcing their plans in July of 2002, UC Davis (Davis, California) has recently submitted an almost 800-page application to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for a grant to build a $190 million National Laboratory for Biodefense and Emerging Diseases, which would be equipped to study highly infectious human and animal diseases. If approved, the proposed Western National Regional Center for Biodefense and Emerging Diseases would include a Level 4 Biosafety lab (BSL-4), which allows researchers to study microorganisms that cause infectious disease, plus ways to combat them.

Proponents of the project see a myriad of benefits in building the lab complex, both economic, and as a line of defense for the nation to combat new and emerging diseases and bioterrorism. They point out that the West Coast needs a high-level lab for quick analysis in case of an emergency because existing labs of this type are located cross-country in Atlanta, Georgia and Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The collaboration between the University of California, some private universities and colleges, the Lawrence Livermore Laboratories, and the California Department of Health Services to build the Center also sees it as a catalyst for research and related economic development for the region.

Since the NIH announced plans for at least one or two elaborately outfitted biodefense laboratories, other universities have announced their desire to be chosen as building sites. Both the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Texas at Galveston are mounting active campaigns to win one of the multi-million dollar complexes. UT Galveston currently has a small-scale BSL-4 lab under construction. Another institute reportedly indicating interest in development includes the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in New York.

As the proposal was presented to various public forums, opposition to the project has grown at a rapid pace. Citing the degree of danger posed by being in close proximity to some of the world's most dangerous pathogens and the possibility of being a target for terrorist are among the reasons being given not to build the complex by those challenging the project. A grassroots group called Stop UCD Biolab Now has launched a website outlining their fears and are also circulating a petition. Residents from around the area recently made their unhappiness with the plans known to the Davis City Council.

The application submitted by UCD included a section on Preliminary Risk Assessment and Threat Analysis. Potential threats were listed along with the possibility of occurrence. Incidents covered included such things as the theft of "select agents" and animal activist terrorism against the building and workers, which were categorized as moderate to high threats. Natural disasters were seen as a moderate threat, as was sabotage of the facility and its infrastructure.

If built, CUH2A Smith Carter (Atlanta, Georgia) would design the lab and McCarthy Building Companies Incorporated (Saint Louis, Missouri) would manage construction. Both firms have experience designing and building BSL-4 labs. Upon completion in 6 years, eventually 200 people could find employment at the new facility.

For a detailed discussion of trends in the pharmabio industry see Industrialinfo.com's new 2003 North American Pharmaceutical-Biotech Forecast