Regional Biocontainment Lab Soon to Open in Newark Innovation Zone
The Regional Biocontainment Lab (RBL) is one of the University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey's (UMDNJ's) hundreds of construction projects designed to make UMDNJ one of the premier medical, research and teaching facilities in the nation. When completed, the 34,720-square-foot, two-story facility will contain almost 15,000 square feet of Biosafety Level 3 laboratory and support space for more than 200 scientists in the Northeast Biodefense Center. The RBL is scheduled to be completed by June 2008.
Located in the Newark Innovation Zone, the RBL is a $39-million facility where scientists will conduct research on infectious diseases and diseases caused by agents of bioterrorism. The facility will be located on New Street, between Newark and Wilsey Streets, in Newark. Access to the facility will be through the International Center of Public Health (ICPH), and will share both the service yard and the main entrance of the existing building.
Funding for the project is being provided by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health. Nine RBLs throughout the country have received one-time grants of between $7 million and $21 million each in construction funds, and two National Biocontainment Laboratories (NBL) have received one-time grants of approximately $120 million each. Each institution is also required to provide matching funds.
The NBL and RBL sites were selected based on multiple factors, but primarily on the scientific and technical merit of the applications as assessed by peer review and on the applicant's ability to contribute to the overall NIAID biodefense research agenda.
The laboratory will include a mechanical room at the penthouse level, as well as laboratories designed and constructed to Biosafety Level II and III standards that will support the nation's growing research needs of select BSL3 agents and emerging diseases.
The RBL will have a vital role as a major participant in the University Heights Science Project redevelopment area. Construction on the facility began in September 2006. For more information on the development of the RBL, visit njms.umdnj.edu/research/rbl/.