National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories Building

The National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories, or NEIDL, is a

biosciences This list of life sciences comprises the branches of science that involve the scientific study of life – such as microorganisms, plants, and animals including human beings. This science is one of the two major branches of natural science, the ...

facility of

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with ...

located near

Boston Medical Center Boston Medical Center (BMC) is a non-profit 514-bed academic medical center in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest safety-net hospital and Level I trauma center in New England. BMC employs 1,466 physicians—including 711 residents and f ...

on Albany Street in the South End neighborhood of

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

. The lab is part of a national network of secure facilities that study infectious diseases, whether naturally occurring or introduced through

bioterrorism Bioterrorism is terrorism involving the intentional release or dissemination of biological agents. These agents are bacteria, viruses, insects, fungi, and/or toxins, and may be in a naturally occurring or a human-modified form, in much the same ...

. The Labs include a BSL-4 laboratory, which study the most dangerous and deadly human diseases. The current director of NEIDL is microbiology researcher Dr. Ronald Corley, also Chair of Microbiology at Boston University.

History

On February 2, 2006,

received regulatory approval from the federal government to fund construction of a biosafety laboratory on its medical campus in the South End, Boston. There has been strong community opposition to the planned building, and BSL-2 level research did not begin until 2012 due to court injunctions."BU Questions Claims Behind Ordinance to Ban BSL-4 Research: City Council Hearing on April 16"
BU Press Release, March 17th, 2014 In early 2014, BSL-4 research was still being opposed by community groups including the Union Park Neighborhood Association and Boston City Councilor

Charles Yancey Charles Calvin Yancey (born December 28, 1948, in Boston, Massachusetts, United States)

who was conducting hearings on its safety and recommending a citywide ban on BSL-4 research. The NEIDL was given final approval for BSL-4 research by the

Boston Public Health Commission The Boston Public Health Commission, the oldest health department in the United States, is an independent public agency providing a wide range of health services and programs. It is governed by a seven-member board of health appointed by the Mayor ...

on December 6, 2017, with the support of Boston Mayor

Marty Walsh Martin Joseph Walsh (born April 10, 1967) is an American politician and former union official. He has been the 29th United States Secretary of Labor since March 23, 2021. A Democrat, he previously served as the 54th mayor of Boston from 2014, ...

. Every project at the lab will also need individual BPHC review and approval. In the wake of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, NEIDL's BSL-4 research on ebola was paused to allow for experiments on the

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...

infectious disease.

References

External links

Boston University National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories
{{Coord, 42.336016, -71.068593, region:US_type:landmark, display=title Laboratories in the United States Infectious disease organizations Biosafety level 4 laboratories Skyscrapers in Boston Biological research institutes in the United States Medical research institutes in Massachusetts Microbiology institutes

History

See also

References

External links