Laboratory biosafety for handling emerging viruses

Emerging viruses are viruses whose occurrence has risen within the past twenty years,or whose presence is likely to increase in the near future.Diseases caused by emerging viruses are a major threat to global public health.In spite of greater awareness of safety and containment procedures,the handling of pathogenic viruses remains a likely source of infection,and mortality,among laboratory workers.There is a steady increase in both the number of laboratories and scientist handling emerging viruses for diagnostics and research.The potential for harm associated to work with these infectious agents can be minimized through the application of sound biosafety concepts and practices.The main factors to the prevention of laboratory-acquired infection are well-trained personnel who are knowledgable and biohazard aware,who are perceptive of the various ways of transmission,and who are professional in safe laboratory practice management.In addition,we should emphasize that appropriate facilities,practices and procedures are to be used by the laboratory workers for the handling of emerging viruses in a safe and secure manner.This review is aimed at providing researchers and laboratory personnel with basic biosafety principles to protect themselves from exposure to emerging viruses while working in the laboratory.This paper focuses on what emerging viruses are,why emerging viruses can cause laboratory-acquired infection,how to assess the risk of working with emerging viruses,and how laboratory-acquired infection can be prevented.Control measures used in the laboratory designed as such that they protect workers from emerging viruses and safeguard the public through the safe disposal of infectious wastes are also addressed.

Biosafety of a 3D-printed intraocular lens made of a poly (acrylamide-co-sodium acrylate) hydrogel in vitro and in vivo

AIM:To assess the biosafety of a poly(acrylamide-cosodium acrylate)hydrogel(PAH)as a 3D-printed intraocular lens(IOL)material.METHODS:The biosafety of PAH was first evaluated in vitro using human lens epithelial cells(LECs)and the ARPE19 cell line,and a cell counting kit-8(CCK-8)assay was performed to investigate alterations in cell proliferation.A thin film of PAH and a conventional IOL were intraocularly implanted into the eyes of New Zealand white rabbits respectively,and a sham surgery served as control group.The anterior segment photographs,intraocular pressure(IOP),blood parameters and electroretinograms(ERG)were recorded.Inflammatory cytokines in the aqueous humor,such as TNFαand IL-8,were examined by ELISA.Cell apoptosis of the retina was investigated by TUNEL assay,and macro PAHge activation was detected by immunostaining.RESULTS:PAH did not slow cell proliferation when cocultured with human LECs or ARPE19 cells.The implantation of a thin film of a 3 D-printed IOL composed of PAH did not affect the IOP,blood parameters,ERG or optical structure in any of the three experimental groups(n=3 for each).Both TNFαand IL-8 in the aqueous humor of PAH group were transiently elevated 1 wk post-operation and recovered to normal levels at 1 and 3 mo post-operation.Iba1+macroPAHges in the anterior chamber angle in PAH group were increased markedly compared to those of the control group;however,there was no significant difference compared to those in the IOL group.CONCLUSION:PAH is a safe material for 3D printing of personal IOLs that hold great potential for future clinical applications.

Emergency Biosafety Management Practice in Laboratory of Shelter Hospital

At the end of 2019,the novel coronavirus infection outbroke in Wuhan,Hubei Province.On Feb.2,2020,Wuhan,as the worst-hit region,began to build“shelter hospital”rapidly to treat patients with mild ilness.The shelter hospital has multiple functions such as emergency treatment,surgical treatment and clinical test,which can adapt to emergency medical rescue tasks.Based on the characteristics that shelter hospital only treats patients with mild ilness,tests of shelter laboratory,including coronavirus nucleic acid detection,IgM/IgG antibody serology detection,monitoring and auxiliary diagnosis and/or a required blood routine,urine routine,C-reactive protein,calcitonin original,biochemical indicators(liver enzymes,myocardial enzymes,renal function,etc.)and blood coagulation function test etc,were used to provide important basis for the diagnosis and treatment of the disease.In order to ensure laboratory biosafety,it is necessary to first evaluate the harm level of various specimens.In the laboratory biosafety management,the harm level assessment of microorganisms is the core work of biosafety,which is of great significance to guarantee biosafety.As an emergency deployment afcted by the environment,shelter laboratory must possess strong mobility.This paper will explore how to combine the biosafety model of traditional laboratory with the particularity of shelter laboratory to carry out effective work in response to the current epidemic.

Emergency Response for a Laboratory Biosafety Incident

On December 14, 2017, a faculty member of a university in Hunan Province reported that an anthrax vaccine strain might have recovered virulence during an undergraduate experiment and potential exposure could not be ruled out for the students involved. Upon receiving the case report, the CDC, health bureaus, and local governments at the county, prefectural, and provincial levels promptly organized experts in different fields (including epidemiologists, biosafety experts, and laboratory testing experts) for case investigation, evaluation, and response. As the investigation results showed, no virulence recovery was identified in the involved anthrax vaccine strain;and no contamination of Bacillus anthracis was detected at the involved areas. Thus, the university returned to normal functioning.

Detection and Analysis of Ebola Virus in Sierra Leone-China Friendship Biosafety Laboratory from March 11 to April 20, 2015

Ebola virus disease reemerged in Western Africa in 2014.Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention dispatched the first Ebola virus（EBOV）detection team to run newly established Sierra Leone-China Friendship Biological Safety Laboratory.The aims of study were to understand epidemiology,clinical manifestations and survival time of EBOV in patient＇s blood.A total of 913specimens were tested between March 11 and April20, 2015. EBOV positivity occurred in 7.37% of the blood and 0.53% in throat swabs.

The Main Biological Hazards in Animal Biosafety Level 2 Facilities and Strategies for Control

Concern about the biological hazards involved in microbiological research, especially research involving laboratory animals, has increased in recent years. Working in an animal biosafety level 2 facility （ABSL-2）, commonly used for research on infectious diseases, poses various biological hazards. Here, the regulations and standards related to laboratory biosafety in China are introduced, the potential biological hazards present in ABSL-2 facilities are analyzed, and a series of strategies to control the hazards are presented.

Preparation, Fundamental Characteristics and Biosafety Evalution of Compound rhBMP-2/CPC

To stndy the fundamental characteristics and biosafety of the compound bone morphogenetic protein （ BMP ） and rhBMP- 2/CPC , and to provide a theoretical basis for the compound biologically active artificial bone made of calcium phosphate cement （CPC） and bone morphogenetic protein, simplex CPC was taken as the control group, and the compound with the blending ratio of 1g CPC to 5mg rhBMP-2 was taken as the experimentation group to determine the setting time, compressive, strength, acute toxicological and sub acute toxicological properties. The osteogenic characteristic of compound rhBMP- 2/CPC was measured by making animal model of radio discontinuous defect. The setting time of the two groups meets the clinical requirements, and the compressive strength of the solidified body of bone cement increases along with increasing the immersion time. Compound rhBMP- 2/ CPC has a favorable ostengenic characteristic for animal model of radio discontinuous deject. The fundamental characteristics of the compound rhBMP- 2 phosphate bone cement are basically the same as that of CPC, and also have a favorable biosafety and osteogenesis.

Biocompatibility and biosafety of butterfly wings for the clinical use of tissue-engineered nerve grafts

In a previous study, we used natural butterfly wings as a cell growth matrix for tissue engineering materials and found that the surface of different butterfly wings had different ultramicrostructures, which can affect the qualitative growth of cells and regulate cell growth, metabolism, and gene expression. However, the biocompatibility and biosafety of butterfly wings must be studied. In this study, we found that Sprague-Dawley rat dorsal root ganglion neurons could grow along the structural stripes of butterfly wings, and Schwann cells could normally attach to and proliferate on different species of butterfly wings. The biocompatibility and biosafety of butterfly wings were further examined through subcutaneous implantation in Sprague-Dawley rats, intraperitoneal injection in Institute of Cancer Research mice, intradermal injection in rabbits, and external application to guinea pigs. Our results showed that butterfly wings did not induce toxicity, and all examined animals exhibited normal behaviors and no symptoms, such as erythema or edema. These findings suggested that butterfly wings possess excellent biocompatibility and biosafety and can be used as a type of tissue engineering material. This study was approved by the Experimental Animal Ethics Committee of Jiangsu Province of China(approval No. 20190303-18) on March 3, 2019.

Assessment of Biosafety Practices in Clinical Laboratories in Khartoum State, Sudan

Background: Several related accidents occur in the laboratories due to insufficient regulation, inappropriate implementation of safety measures or unawareness attitude and practice toward safety precaution. Biosafety is a tool through which we are managing safety and security related to any kinds of hazards that may be either to the human, animals, plants and environment as well. We can implement good laboratory practice to minimize the risk while performing any kind of test procedures, either handling to the samples like blood and other body fluids which is playing important role for infections and transmissible diseases. If we will provide facilities and training to the lab personnel, then we can protect public, agriculture, and the environment from which is leading cause of infections as well as hazards such as biological, chemical, electrical and glassware. For achieving effective and necessary biosafety and security, it should make sure that any unauthorized person is not able to handle, process, transport to minimize loss and misuse of the any kind of hazards especially biohazards. Therefore, it’s highly recommended to make an international system to avoid any kind of biosafety related issues. Objective: Because biosafety is an important element in quality management system (QMS) and it is a fundamental tool for compliance with accreditation and certification standards, the aim of this study was to assess the practices of lab personnel towards biosafety measures in their laboratories. Method: The study was cross-sectional study that conducted among 70 laboratories by use of structured questionnaire. Data analysis was done by using statistical package for social science (SPSS). Result: Among 70 laboratories, 2 (3%) were appointing a biosafety officer, 16 (23%) have fire detection system and fire alarm system, and 20 (29%) of all laboratories were provided by fire extinguisher. Among provision of personnel protection, 56 (80%) always wearied lab coat and gloves, 35 (79%) wearied masks (surgical mask) with low availability of safety goggles and eye shield. Vaccination for hepatitis B virus identified in 40 (57%) of the laboratories. In 41 (59%) of laboratories, the cleaning personnel were not aware about optimal handlers of biohazard in the laboratory. 20 (29%) of all laboratories have exit door and 43 (61%) were used biological safety cabinet. Availability of sharp container and color-coded biohazard bags were found in about 60% (86%), 55 (79%);safe disposal policies were found in 49 (70%) of laboratories. Discussion: Biosafety measures and practices in Sudan need to be restructured if we target to achieve good laboratory practices as well as safe environmental testing for clinical human samples. Recommendation: There are a great need to establish and implement biosafety precaution program included in government and private clinical laboratory in Sudan.

Hidden Dangers of Biosafety in Schools'Laboratories and the Construction of Management System

With detailed analysis and research on biosafety,it is found that biosafety has an important role and occupies a key position in relation to universitiesJ laboratories.It is also one of the most important components of the safe construction and management of laboratories.At the same time,biosafety and life safety of teachers and students enable orderly and smooth teaching in which they are closely linked.If the biosafety of a university's laboratory has problems,inevitably there would be huge threats to the university itself,teachers,and students.Hence,in order to ensure that laboratories are biologically safe,it is necessary to find out the existing problems,develop flawless solutions and strategies,establish reasonable laboratory safety systems,and strengthen the laboratory protection facilities.Hence,problems pertaining this issue would be properly solved.This article analyzes and studies the construction of a biosafety system in school laboratories for future references.

Biosafety and immunology:An interdisciplinary field for health priority

Biosafety hazards can trigger a host immune response after infection,invasion,or contact with the host.Whether infection with a microorganism results in disease or biosafety concerns depends to a large extent on the immune status of the population.Therefore,it is essential to investigate the immunological character-istics of the host and the mechanisms of biological threats and agents to protect the host more effectively.Emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases,such as the current coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pan-demic,have raised concerns regarding both biosafety and immunology worldwide.Interdisciplinary studies involved in biosafety and immunology are relevant in many fields,including the development of vaccines and other immune interventions such as monoclonal antibodies and T-cells,herd immunity(or population-level barrier immunity),immunopathology,and multispecies immunity,i.e.,animals and even plants.Meanwhile,advances in immunological science and technology are occurring rapidly,resulting in important research achievements that may contribute to the recognition of emerging biosafety hazards,as well as early warning,prevention,and defense systems.This review provides an overview of the interdisciplinary field of biosafety and immunology.Close collaboration and innovative application of immunology in the field of bio-safety is becoming essential for human health.

Biosafety chemistry and biosafety materials:A new perspective to solve biosafety problems

Coronavirus disease 2019(COVID‐19)has rapidly swept around the globe since its emergence near 2020.However,people have failed to fully understand its origin or mutation.Defined as an international biosafety incident,COVID‐19 has again encouraged worldwide attention to reconsider the importance of biosafety due to the adverse impact on personal well‐being and social stability.Most countries have already taken measures to advocate progress in biosafety‐relevant research,aiming to prevent and solve biosafety problems with more advanced techniques and products.Herein,we propose a new concept of biosafety chemistry and reiterate the notion of biosafety materials,which refer to the interdisciplinary integration of biosafety and chemistry or materials.We attempt to illustrate the exquisite association that chemistry and materials science possess with biosafety‐science,and we hope to provide a pragmatic perspective on approaches to utilize the knowledge of these two subjects to handle specific biosafety issues,such as detection and disinfection of pathogenic microorganisms,personal protective equipment,vaccine adjuvants and specific drugs,etc..In addition,we hope to promote multidisciplinary cooperation to strengthen biosafety research and facilitate the development of biosafety products to defend national security in the future.

Good laboratory practices guarantee biosafety in the Sierra Leone-China friendship biosafety laboratory

Background:The outbreak of Ebola virus disease(EVD)in West Africa between 2014 and 2015 was the largest EDV epidemic since the identification of Ebola virus(EBOV)in 1976,and the countries most strongly affected were Sierra Leone,Guinea,and Liberia.Findings:The Sierra Leone-China Friendship Biological Safety Laboratory(SLE-CHN Biosafety Lab),a fixed Biosafety Level 3 laboratory in the capital city of Sierra Leone,was established by the Chinese government and has been active in EBOV detection since 11 March 2015.Complete management and program documents were created for the SLE-CHN Biosafety Lab,and it was divided into four zones(the green,yellow,brown,and red zones)based on the risk assessment.Different types of safe and appropriate personnel protection equipment(PPE)are used in different zones of the laboratory,and it fully meets the Biosafety Level 3 laboratory standards of the World Health Organization.Conclusion:Good preparedness,comprehensive risk assessment and operation documents,appropriate PPE,effective monitoring and intensive training,together with well-designed and reasonable laboratory sectioning are essential for guaranteeing biosafety.

Laboratory biosafety in China: past, present, and future

The launch of the new journal,Biosafety and Health,presents me with a unique opportunity to recount the progress of laboratory biosafety(LB)in China and my contribution to this area over the past 30 years.Since the severe acute respiratory syndrome epidemic in 2003,China has constructed a primary network of high-level biosafety laboratories at different levels and established an expert team on LB.Furthermore,a series of LB management documents,including laws,regulations,standards,and guidelines,have been developed and published.This gradually maturing LB system has played a pivotal role in emerging infectious disease control and prevention,as well as in research,which in turn contributes to public health.In recent years,international collaboration between China and other countries has also been accelerated.Despite these achievements,we are still facing many challenges and opportunities in the field of LB.Sustainable LB development requires the joint efforts of the entire society and continuous international cooperation to safeguard global public health.

Development of biosafety equipment for high containment laboratory and for personal protection in China

Biosafety equipment is the key barrier enabling high containment laboratories to handle high risk agents that may cause serious and potentially lethal infections. This perspective thoroughly analyzes the development of many kinds of key biosafety technologies, and equipment for protection of laboratory workers and for high containment laboratory facilities in China. Over more than ten years of rapid development, China has had remarkable achievements in key biosafety technologies and equipment in high containment laboratories. These technologies basically meet the needs of high containment laboratories construction in China. Furthermore, according to the current global situation regarding the prevention and control of infectious diseases and the technical development level of biosafety equipment, this paper proposes targeted suggestions and notes that China still needs to increase investment in scientific research to provide further technical and equipment support enabling us to build a community with a bright future in terms of human biosafety.

Investigation and analysis of the biosafety awareness of laboratory staff involved in the detection of pathogens in seven provincial Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in China

This study aims to evaluate the biosafety awareness of laboratory staff working on pathogens detection in seven Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and support these staff's biosafety management and training.A total of 208 laboratory staff from seven provincial CDCs were chosen by stratified random sampling to undergo a self-administered questionnaire survey.The collected data were analyzed using SPSS 22.0.The overall average biosafety awareness of the CDC laboratory staff involved in pathogen detection was 82.5 points.The average biosafety awareness score was the highest in health monitoring(92.63 points)and the lowest in risk assessment and control(41.6 points).Among the seven provincial CDCs,the Guizhou Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention laboratory staff showed the lowest average biosafety awareness score(74.3 points).The team who worked for 5–14 years were more likely to score above the passing score(≥88 points;corrected OR 0.400,95%CI:0.168–0.951)than the staff with less than five years of work experience.In addition,the mid-level and junior-level staff,as well as the lower position ones were more likely to score below the passing score(<88 points;junior level and lower:corrected OR 3.473,95%CI:1.028–11.737;mid-level:corrected OR 2.797,95%CI:1.027–7.618)compared with the senior-level staff.Among the surveyed team,66.3%identified a lack of specific funds related to work,61.5%identified a lack of designated personnel for the laboratory biosafety management.The biosafety awareness in CDC laboratory staff involved in pathogen detection is low,especially regarding risk assessment and control.The biosafety awareness in Guizhou and Guangxi Provincial CDC laboratory staff is also low.Laboratory funding,job title,and years of experience in a laboratory influence biosafety awareness in CDC laboratory staff.The biosafety knowledge,education,and training of CDC laboratory staff involved in pathogen detection need to improve by paying attention to the content and coverage of biosafety training,exploring new training modalities,and increasing funding for activities related to biosafety in CDC.

Networking for training Level 3/4 biosafety laboratory staff

Worldwide,public health systems are continually challenged by emerging and re-emerging viruses.It is therefore important that high-containment labs coordinate and communicate globally to share their experiences and lessons to improve their capacity to respond to threats.The National Biosafety(Level 4)Laboratory in Wuhan,CAS,which is the first Level 4 biosafety laboratory(BSL-4)in China,has been certified recently and it is expected to play an important role in the prevention and control of highly infectious agents in future.Trained and experienced staff in such organizations is the most important factor contributing to safety and security.Therefore,it is imperative to develop a standard training program.Accordingly,in the present study,we developed an improved training program and assessment system based on policies and practices developed by BSL-3/4s in other countries.It included the following three components:(1)A flexible modularized theoretical training:This training comprised 14 modularized theoretical topics such that staffs with different backgrounds could take this theoretical training with different topic combinations according to their knowledge and skill levels;(2)A standardized practical training assessment:This comprehensive assessment,which could be used with biosafety laboratory staff before,during,and after training,included standard operation procedures to meet the special requirements of trainees with different scores;and(3)An applicable documentation system:A certification system was established to evaluate the ability of all staff working inside or outside the laboratory,implemented by a special committee.This certification was approved and authorized by the director of the laboratory and was classified into three grades with corresponding minimal requirements.Further,the present study examined the importance of and need for networking for training BSL-3/4 staff.The establishment of rigorous standards for training BSL-3/4 staff will instill confidence in the public,policy makers,and security officials.Additionally,the expanded international network of BSL-3/4s will continue to be operated safely and will pose no risk to scientific staff,local communities,surrounding environment,and host nations.The clarification and coordination of training standards will help develop a highly-qualified biocontainment workforce and will result in a series of programs that will enable scientists to develop measures to deal with existing threat agents and new diseases that emerge.

Performance of Hybrids between Weedy Rice and Insect-resistant Transgenic Rice under Field Experiments: Implication for Environmental Biosafety Assessment

Transgene escape from genetically modified （GM） rice into weedy rice via gene flow may cause undesired environmental consequences. Estimating the field performance of crop-weed hybrids will facilitate our understanding of potential introgression of crop genes （including transgenes） into weedy rice populations, allowing for effective biosafety assessment. Comparative studies of three weedy rice strains and their hybrids with two GM rice lines containing different insect- resistance transgenes （CpTI or Bt/CpTI） indicated an enhanced relative performance of the crop-weed hybrids, with taller plants, more tillers, panicles, and spikelets per plant, as well as higher 1000-seed weight, compared with the weedy rice parents, although the hybrids produced less filled seeds per plant than their weedy parents. Seeds from the F1 hybrids had higher germination rates and produced more seedlings than the weedy parents, which correlated positively with 1000-seed weight. The crop-weed hybrids demonstrated a generally enhanced relative performance than their weedy rice parents in our field experiments. These findings indicate that transgenes from GM rice can persist to and introgress into weedy rice populations through recurrent crop-to-weed gene flow with the aid of slightly increased relative fitness in F1 hybrids.

Biosafety and biobanking: Current understanding and knowledge gaps

Infectious disease outbreaks,such as'Coronavirus disease 20190(COVID-19),can constitute major global health threats with far-reaching consequences.As outbreaks develop,the international scientific community must provide high-quality scientific research-ready biological samples to solve the existing clinical and epidemiological questions to better combat the pandemic.Such examples are provided by dedicated biobank facilities,the latter collecting increasingly high volumes of biological samples.However,the more significant concentrations of infectious or potentially infectious biological materials can create a safety risk.The current short report describes the first attempt to identify the published scientific works on biobanking and safety.Three broad thematic areas have been identified:the physical security relevant to staff and sample integrity,the data safety aspects,and the governance parameters relating to the previous two.While the current publications reflect a broad alignment with existing standards and best practices in the biobanking field,they also demonstrate an opportunity for further in-depth work on this field in the post-COVID-19 era.

Biosafety and biosecurity in the era of biotechnology:The Middle East region

Biotechnology became a paradigm-shifting science among all subfields of biology.The benefits of biotechnology have reached many practical fields,whether human health,animal,and/or agricultural.However,wherever there is a biotechnology practice,there is an associated biohazard with it,and its negative impact may reach all living entities including humans.Therefore,the cooperation of the leading institutions in this field has culminated in creating the concepts and applications of biosafety and biosecurity.The countries of the Middle East are considered biotechnology-practicing and have shown a clear acceptance to this field.But unfortunately,the Middle East region is one that is facing the most multichallenges,which would constitute real and noticeable concern at the local and international levels.Such challenges represented by wars and armed conflicts,deteriorating economic conditions,the large number of refugees,and the spread of many epidemics.Thus,limiting the region’s ability to deal with the surrounding biological hazards and struggling the way to the one health concept.Therefore,this article aims to shed light on the activities of the Middle East countries in the field of biotechnology and to address potential biological threats,whether natural such as the spread of viruses,or intentional such as biological attacks and bioterrorism.The article also shows the capacity of the countries of the region in the field of biosafety and biosecurity based on available information.Accordingly,some countries are lacking the required level of preparedness to face potential biological threats.Multi-institutional and international cooperation between the concerned countries will significantly enhance the capacity of the region in biosafety and biosecurity to meet the level of biological risk.Search methodology:wide range of related keywords(based on the section)combined with the name of the region,or one country individually have been searched using available search engines and databases such as google scholar and PubMed.After scanning the content of the found results,irrelevant articles have been excluded.Figures 2,3,4,6,and 7 were created by biorender.com.