The Chronicle

Issue date: 2/19/07 Section: News
Last update: 2/19/07 at 5:49 AM EST

Media Credit: PETER GEBHARD Members of the Duke and Durham communities cut the ribbon for the new Global Health Research Building.

Media Credit: PETER GEBHARD The new Global Health Research Building will help prevent bioterror attacks such as the anthrax one in 2001.

With a threat of avian flu, SARS and anthrax attacks persistent across the nation, Duke researchers are now able to take steps against these deadly diseases through the Global Health Research Building, which opened Friday.

The high-security facility, located on the corner of Research Drive and Erwin Road, serves two main purposes, said Dr. Richard Frothingham, director of the building and associate professor of medicine in infectious diseases. The GHRB is to allow for research of hazardous diseases and to serve as a facility that can process specimens in the case of a biological attack.

"The impetus for developing this lab was the anthrax attack that occurred through the mail in 2001," Frothingham said. "The attacks really captured the nation's attention at that point, and there was an increased emphasis on readiness for biological attacks."

The GHRB is co-funded by the National Institutes of Health and Duke University, contributing $12 million and $6 million, respectively. It is certified as a Biosafety Level 3 laboratory, the second highest certification given by the NIH.

The facility will be used by Duke scientists as well those from other universities, including the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University and East Carolina University.

"This [laboratory] will not only be a facility for Duke but also for the entire region," said Dr. Fred Sparling, director of the Southeast Regional Center of Excellence for Emerging Infections and Biodefense.

Because the new laboratory is able to hold very hazardous biological agents, including West Nile Virus and plague particles, many stringent security measures have been put in place.

Surrounding the building is a high security fence with a 24-hour guard, and entry to the lab requires fingerprint identification, a key card and a password known only to the user. The building is also constructed on steel pillars that are designed to withstand a Category Five hurricane.

"We spent about two years designing the biocontainment lab with a focus on both security and safety," Frothingham said. "The building has pretty impressive security features that ensure that the materials aren't taken out of there."

Although many hospitals have one or two rooms sequestered that can handle Biosafety Level 3 materials, the new laboratory is one the largest labs of this kind in the area, Frothingham said.

As a result, the biocontainment center will be able to house research laboratories and also double as a surge center to process cultures in times of need, he added.

The GHRB also has the capability to allow experiments on animals infected with dangerous pathogens, Frothingham said. It is the only laboratory of its kind with this capacity.

At Friday's opening ceremony, administrators stressed the importance of proactive research when it comes to bioterrorism.

"The purpose of this building is not to wait until you have a disaster," President Richard Brodhead said. "Instead, it is to solve it before it becomes a problem."

Others praised the way in which the building will serve as a link between Duke and the local and global communities.

"Partnerships are what drive our community, and our community will benefit from this partnership," Durham Mayor Bill Bell said. "We look forward to great things happening here."

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