The University of Massachusetts Amherst has an Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) in compliance with the NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant or Synthetic Nucleic Acid Molecules (NIH Guidelines, April 2016) and in accordance with Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (BMBL) 6th Edition, November 2020.
The IBC is a university-wide review body that provides oversight over university operations and activities involving potential biological hazard. The IBC reviews and approves research that involves potentially biohazardous materials (plant and animal pathogens, oncogenes, toxins and recombinant DNA).
The IBC consists of no fewer than five members that collectively have experience and expertise in recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid molecules and technology. The committee also includes a biosafety officer, one scientist with expertise in animal containment, and one scientist with plant, plant pathogen or plant containment principles. Two members are from the community who represent the interest of the surrounding community with respect to health and protection of the environment. The committee has the capability to assess the safety of the proposed research and to identify any potential risk to public health or the environment.
The committee schedules monthly meetings and meets at least four times a year. Questions as to whether a material is a potential biohazard should be directed to the Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) at (413) 545-2682.
The IBC assists the EHS Biosafety Officer in formulating policies and procedures related to the use of biohazards. The IBC is charged with reviewing the biological and medical waste management program annually and may advise the institution and the Principal Investigator (PI) concerning management of research that is classified as “dual use”.