UCLA Investigators working with biohazardous materials are required to comply with the NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant or Synthetic Nucleic Acids (NIH Guidelines). To ensure compliance, the UCLA Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC), in collaboration with the Office of Environment, Health & Safety (EH&S), has developed an online (~20 minute) training module which is required of all individuals who work in laboratories or in association with research projects.
This course can be accessed from http://training.ehs.ucla.edu/.
You and your laboratory staff/colleagues are required to complete this course before December 1, 2014 to ensure compliance with the NIH Guidelines.
This training is intended to cover critical gaps in the UCLA program to ensure that:
- Use of biological materials, including recombinant and synthetic nucleic acids, has been reviewed and approved by the IBC prior to initiation of work;
- All investigators understand their responsibilities in maintaining compliance with the NIH Guidelines; and
- Any incidents involving these materials, including potential or actual exposures and loss of containment, are immediately reported to the EH&S Biosafety Office (310-206-3929).
NIH grantee institutions are expected to run rigorous programs of biosafety oversight that include attention to safe laboratory practices, training, and appropriate policies and procedures. Acknowledging NIH Director Francis Collins’ recent announcement of National Biosafety Stewardship Month (see attached letter), full participation in the UCLA compliance training is required of all laboratory and research personnel to ensure safe practices in biomedical research and continued institutional eligibility for essential research funds.
If you have any questions, please contact the Office of Research Administration–Institutional Biosafety Committee at oibc@research.ucla.edu or 310-206-3182.