Institutional Bio Safety Committee

About the Committee

The Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) was established by NIH to provide local review and oversight of nearly all forms of research utilizing recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid molecules. In addition, the Towson University IBC reviews a variety of experimentation that involves biological materials (e.g., infectious agents) and other potentially hazardous agents (e.g., carcinogens). The IBC follows NIH Guidelines, which detail safety practices and containment procedures for basic and clinical research involving recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid molecules, including the creation and use of organisms and viruses containing recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid molecules.

The IBC is overseen by the Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Office. Visit their website to review current policies and procedures, as well as any required forms for IBC protocols. 

Training

Training is provided by the Office of Sponsored Programs and Research (OSPR) and is made available through the University of Miami’s Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI). To learn more about CITI and how to access available courses, please visit TU’s CITI Training webpage.

Available Biosafety/Biosecurity Courses:

• Introduction and Risk Assessment
• Risk Management
• OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens
• Recombinant DNA Research

Sponsored/funded research needs to have all appropriate IBC approvals in place prior to the release of funds.