Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC)

Tarleton State University’s Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) oversees all aspects of Tarleton’s biohazards use program for research, teaching, and testing. The IBC reviews all permit applications for biohazardous materials use and compliance with federal regulations. In addition, the IBC performs inspections of laboratories to assess that appropriate biosafety level requirements are in place, and oversees training and educational programs. Furthermore, the IBC provides oversight in lab safety, lab security, biological containment practices, emergency contingency plans (including containment and cleanup of spills), and exposure of personnel to biohazardous materials.

The IBC is composed of a minimum of five individuals: a chairperson, a biosafety officer, an animal expert, a plant expert, and two local community representatives.

To ensure that biologically hazardous materials are used safely, and in compliance with federal and state laws, regulations, and guidelines, the IBC adheres to the following:

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/National Institutes of Health (CDC/NIH) Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (BMBL)
• The NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant or Synthetic DNA Molecules (NIH Guidelines)

What requires IBC approval?

• Biological agents (bacteria, rickettsia, fungi, viruses, protozoa, parasites, and prions) that may cause disease in humans, animals, or plants;
• Biological materials that may contain microorganisms;
• Recombinant or Synthetic Nucleic Acid Molecules
  • Molecules that are constructed by joining nucleic acid molecules and that can replicate in a living cell (e.g., recombinant nucleic acids or plasmids);
  • Nucleic acid molecules that are chemically or by other means synthesized or amplified, including those that are chemically or otherwise modified but can base pair with naturally occurring nucleic acid molecules, i.e., synthetic nucleic acides (e.g., primers or siRNA);
• Human and other primate-derived substances (e.g., blood, body fluids, cells and cell lines, or tissues);
• Toxins of biological origin.