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Institutional Biosafety Committee

Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC)

The purpose of the Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ State University (KSU) Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) is to provide structured programming for teaching and/or research activities that involve recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid molecules and biohazardous materials, agents, and toxins, conducted under the auspices of KSU or are sponsored by KSU. Institutions that receive support from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for recombinant or synthetic nucleic research are required to establish and register an IBC with the NIH Office of Biotechnology Activities (OBA) in compliance with the NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant DNA Molecules (NIH Guidelines).

The IBC is responsible for the oversight, administration, and review of KSU laboratory policies, practices, and projects involving teaching and research with recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid molecules and other potentially hazardous materials that may pose health, safety, or environmental risks. The IBC assists and advises the KSU Environmental Health and Safety Office, principal investigators (PIs), Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, Institutional Review Boards, and other researchers to ensure that the aspects of teaching and/or research that fall within the purview of the IBC are conducted using established biosafety standards, principles, and work authorizations. Such advice includes worker safety, public health, prevention of human exposure to biological hazards, and environmental protection, ethics, and compliance with applicable biosafety standards and KSU Policies. The IBC is hereby-delegated authority to oversee teaching and/or research and approve laboratory protocols involving, but not limited to:

  • Human cells, tissues, organs, blood, and bodily fluids.
  • Any use of recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid encoding products dangerous to humans.
  • Biological agents (animal, plant, bacterial, viral, prion, and/or their products) designated as risk group 1 in which genetic alteration with external genomic or synthetic nucleic acids extend or enhance their normal biological function.
  • Biological agents (animal, plant, bacterial, viral, prion, and/or their products) designated as risk group 2.
  • Transfected and/or transformed cell lines that pose human risk.

The IBC will investigate any concern, including those related to accidents, injuries or illness that may have resulted from the use of recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid molecules and biohazardous materials, agents, and toxins. If any valid concern or deviation from the NIH Guidelines or established policy, procedure, sound practice or protocol is found, the findings will be reported to the Principal Investigator, VPR, and relevant supporting units. Issues will be reported to the NIH according to NIH Policy.

Institutional Committee Members

 

Adam Jajtner PhDChair
Chris Woolverton PhDVice Chair
Ekaterina SemenyukBiosafety Officer
Heidi PageAlternate BSO
Stanley Dannemiller DVMAnimal Expert
Sarah Eichler PhDPlant Expert
Donald Gerbig PhDBiological Science Expert
John Johnson PhDBiological Science Expert
Kevin McCrearyDirector Research Sponsored Programs
Aleisha Moore PhDBiological Sciences Expert
Rocco Petrozzi DPMPhysician
Richard Piet PhDBiological Science Expert

 

Institutional Committee Meeting Dates

Location: Virtual

Time: 2pm


All protocols must be received by the 1st Tuesday of the month to be reviewed at the monthly meeting.

All meetings are subjected to change or cancellation. Contact the Environmental Health and Safety Office at 330-672-4347 or email compliance@kent.edu for questions or comments.

  • January 28, 2025
  • February 25, 2025
  • March 25, 2025
  • April 22, 2025
  • May 27, 2025
  • June 24, 2025
  • July 22, 2025
  • August 26, 2025
  • September 23, 2025
  • October 28, 2025
  • November 25, 2025
  • December 23, 2025
Resources & Guidelines
Document
(4.72 MB)
Document
(554.25 KB)
Document
(1.31 MB)
Access Kuali IBC Application

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Minutes

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND SAFETY
INSTITUTIONAL BIOSAFETY COMMITTEE
Meeting Minutes – June 24, 2025
Teams Meeting
2:00 p.m.
Members Present: Adam Jajtner, Sarah Eichler, Kevin McCreary (joined the meeting between 2:28 p.m. and 2:40 p.m.), Aleisha Moore, Ekaterina Semenyuk (Biosafety Officer), Richard Piet, Stanley Dannemiller, Carolyn Apperson (Local Unaffiliated), Colleen Karlo (Local Unaffiliated).
Members Not Present: Donald Gerbig, Christopher Woolverton.
CALL TO ORDER:
The meeting was called to order at 2:11 p.m.
Conflict of Interest: Dr. Piet left the meeting during discussion of his protocol #985.
MEETING MINUTES APPROVAL:
The May 2025 meeting’s minutes were approved as presented.
Motion: Approve.
For:4
Against:0
Abstain:4
COMMITTEE BUSINESS:
IBC #985 Investigating the circadian regulation of the brain circuits that control ovulation in the mouse (renewal)
PI Dr. Piet
Applicable NIH Guidelines: Section III-D
Primary Reviewer Adam Jajtner
Overview
The purpose of the research is to functionally and anatomically map specific inputs to populations of neurons in the hypothalamus that control fertility by using adeno-associated viral (AAVs) vectors, which carry a transgene encoding for a light-sensitive cation channel enabling activation of specific neuronal populations with light, or a transgene encoding for a fusion protein that enables us to visualize synapses.
Discussion The committee discussed decontamination of the Hamilton syringes used for the stereotactic injections of AAV conducted under IBC protocols #985 and #1963.
Contingencies
Institutional Biosafety Committee Meeting Minutes – 8/27/24
Page 2 of 2
The Committee requested revisions to the decontamination procedure for the Hamilton syringe in this protocol and in protocol #1963. Since ethanol alone is not effective for AAV decontamination, the syringe and needle should first be flushed with 10% bleach, followed by 70% ethanol and then water.
Motion: Grant approval to use RG1 agent at BSL1 pending amendment of the syringe decontamination procedure by the laboratory.
For:8
Against:0
Abstain:0
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
The Committee discussed updates to current IBC policies, including:
-The need for umbrella protocols to cover laboratories conducting multiple research projects.
-A decision tree to help Principal Investigators determine whether a project requires IBC review.
-A new continuing review process that will differ from the current renewal procedure.
-A revised document package, which will be presented for IBC review and approval at the next meeting.
ADJOURNMENT:
The meeting was adjourned at 2:58 p.m.