All biological research requires approval on research protocols depending on the nature of the research. Any work with recombinant DNA material must be approved by the Institute Biosafety Committee (IBC). Research with other biological material must be approved by the Biomaterials Safeguards Committee (BMSC).
Prerequisites for Protocol Approval
In order for an approval letter to be issued for a BSMC or IBC registration, the following must be completed:
- All individuals listed on the application (including the PI) must be up-to-date with all required trainings.
- All individuals listed on the application (including the PI) must be enrolled in the Biosafety Occupational Health Program.
- A successful biosafety lab inspection completed within the past year.
- PI must submit a current Biological Risk Assessment along with their registration.
Click on one of the links below to learn more about these committees:
Biological Materials Safeguards Committee
Principal Investigators (PIs) who intend to work with biological/infectious materials, in vivo or in vitro, must submit protocols and receive approval via the Biological Materials Safeguards Committee (BMSC). The BMSC is administered by the Biosafety Office. Follow the link above to see instructions about the protocol approval process.
Examples of materials that require BMSC approval include:
- Bacteria (pathogenic and non-pathogenic)
- Viruses (pathogenic and non-pathogenic)
- Human-source materials (i.e., blood, cell lines, tissues, & other body fluids)
- Biological toxins
- Mammalian cell lines
- Non-human primate materials
- Arthropods
- Plants
- Prions
- Parasites
- Fungi
Institutional Biosafety Committee
PIs who intend to conduct experiments involving recombinant/synthetic nucleic acid molecules must submit protocols and receive approval via the Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC).
The IBC is administered by the Office of Research Integrity Assurance.
Institutional Review Entity for Dual Use Research of Concern
The Georgia Tech Institutional Review Entity (IRE) committee is charged with providing institutional oversight for life sciences research that may fall under the definition of Dual Use Research of Concern (DURC) as established by the US Government Policy for Institutional Oversight of Life Sciences Dual Use Research of Concern.
The BMSC and IBC registration forms include screening questions for research that may be considered DURC. Registrations that contain potential DURC are passed to the IRE for further assessment.
The IRE is administered by the Office of Research Integrity Assurance.