The Institutional Biosafety Committee reviews protocols for research involving recombinant DNA, biohazardous materials, infectious agents and biologically derived toxins, including select agents. The committee reviews such protocols for adequate safety measures, lab-specific standard operating procedures, training, compliance with regulations and University policy, etc. Use of recombinant and biohazardous materials is regulated by many government agencies, including the National Institutes of Health, the Office of Biotechnology Activities, the Centers for Disease Control and others. The IBC is vital for ensuring such potentially dangerous, but important, research is carried out safely.
Please plan on at least a month between the time an application is submitted and the time a decision is rendered. Various factors can lead to decisions taking more than a month, so please consider this in your study planning. Forms to submit to the IBC are available on IRBNet.