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In the past several years, recombinant DNA has become widely used in many fields of research. The National Institute of Health has established regulations on the use and containment of recombinant DNA materials in the laboratory. Regulations require persons conducting such research to file a registration form with the Institutional Biosafety Committee which must approve the protocols related to recombinant DNA molecules. The recombinant DNA research registration system has recently changed so that registration forms are now filled out online and submitted directly into a database. The new system allows for persons to access their form and make any necessary changes easily and quickly. A second benefit is that there is no reliance on the campus mail for delivery of the registration, as it is instantly sent to the database. The information in the database may only be accessed by authorized individuals and is secured using a name/password system. Review Process Overview Once your registration
document has been submitted, a representative from the Office of
Radiation, Chemical and Biological Safety (ORCBS) will screen it
and may contact you for more information about your research or
for fine-tuning of your registration document before it is turned
over to the committee. Members of the Biosafety Team at the ORCBS
will meet with you to conduct a brief inspection of the proposed
laboratory location for the research and discuss risk assessment
specific to your project. The registration document is then distributed
to the Institutional Biosafety Committee for review. Since the committee
normally meets towards the end of each month to review projects,
registrations must be submitted by mid-month at the latest, in order
to be considered that month. The committee will then review it and
report back to you. They may request additional information or changes
to the registration before approval. The entire review process usually
takes at least 6 to 8 weeks.
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