Biosafety
The Drexel University Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) provides guidance to all faculty, professional staff, and students who wish to conduct research and teaching activities involving biological hazards such as recombinant DNA (as defined by the National Institutes of Health guidelines), pathogenic organisms, human/primate samples, chemicals, and cytotoxic agents. The IBC is responsible for reviewing all proposed projects involving biohazardous materials in order to protect the health and safety of University students, visitors, faculty and professional staff.
The IBC operates in accordance with standards and guidelines from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as regulations established by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). It also conducts operations consistent with city, state and institutional standards and regulations.
Investigators who conduct research involving potential biological risks to University faculty, staff, or students are required to submit biosafety protocols to the IBC. For more information on biosafety protocol submission, review, revision, and approval, follow the links below under Guidance or contact the IBC via email at biosafety@drexel.edu.
Guidance
IBC Functions & Membership
The Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) is composed of faculty investigators from Drexel University who have a wide range of scientific expertise. The IBC also includes the University Biosafety Officer (BSO) and two members from agencies and institutions within the local community. The functions and membership of Institutional Biosafety Committees are specified in the NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant or Synthetic Nucleic Acid Molecules (available in HTML and PDF formats) maintained by the NIH Office of Science Policy (OSP).
The IBC meets on the last Tuesday of each month. To accommodate the University closing for winter break, the December meeting occurs on the third Tuesday of the month. The meeting calendar and deadlines for protocol submission and revision are available on the Meeting Deadlines and Calendar [PDF].
The IBC operates in accordance with practices outlined in IBC-001: Institutional Biosafety Committee Charter and Procedure Manual.
The current co-chairs of the IBC are:
Fred Krebs, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Microbiology and Immunology
Drexel University College of Medicine
Arthur Frank, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor and Chair
Department of Environmental & Occupational Health
Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health
A list of current Drexel University IBC members is maintained by the OSP.