Biosafety Level-3 Containment Laboratory Suite

A biosafety level-3 laboratory suite is available at UNMC to work with pathogens that can cause serious and potentially lethal disease via the inhalation route.

This laboratory suite has been specifically designed to provide the needed protection while working with risk group 3 pathogens and other agents that are associated with specific safety and biosecurity concerns in research and diagnostic testing.  The laboratory suite has been certified by the Federal Select Agent Program as a Tier 1 Select Agent facility.  This allows individuals who have successfully registered with the federal program to handle specific select agents,  which are defined as biological agents or toxins that have the potential to pose a severe threat to public health and safety.   This containment laboratory suite is used to support campus research as well as diagnostic activities for the Nebraska Public Health Laboratory and the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit patient care laboratory.

The National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center involves the University of Nebraska Medical Center/Nebraska Medicine, Emory University and the New York Health and Hospitals Corporation, Bellevue Hospital Center.  Each institution has safely and successfully treated Ebola patients.  Using this knowledge, they have been hard at work educating other health care facilities and public health departments nationwide.

Contact Us

For more information about the laboratory suite, contact Joseph Khoury, MD, laboratory director, or Tony Sambol, responsible official for the UNMC Select Agent Program.