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Research Safety

UofM has assembled an IBC composed of faculty and staff from various departments for reviews.

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), all institutions that receive NIH funding and perform research using recombinant DNA or synthetic nucleic acid are required to have a committee of peers to review research protocols for use of those materials. This committee is called the Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC). In addition, the majority of R1 institutions choose to have the IBC review any research that utilizes pathogenic materials or any human-derived materials (i.e. anything that requires biosafety level 2 containment). 

To this end, the University of Memphis has assembled an IBC composed of faculty and staff from various departments across campus as well as community members. The committee will review all research described in the previous paragraph. 

The committee is currently comprised of the following members: 

  • Mr. Robert (Bobby) Clark (biological safety officer), Environmental Health and Safety
  • Dr. Amy Abell, Biology
  • Dr. Jennifer Mandel, Biology
  • Dr. Shawn Brown, Biology
  • Dr. Jessica (Amber) Jennings, Biomedical Engineering
  • Dr. Chidambaram Ramanathan (chair), Health Sciences
  • Mr. Donny Ray, Associate Director of the Animal Facilities
  • Mr. Timothy Barton, UTHSC (Community Member)
  • Mr. Scott Powell, Environmental Test and Balance (Community Member) 
     

The following are requirements for all research faculty that work with biological materials: 

  • Take the CITI training course for recombinant DNA research. This is a 10-minute course that explains the different sections of research that require NIH oversight
  • If your lab is performing research with any of the following materials then submitting an IBC protocol is required:
    • Recombinant DNA and/or synthetic nucleic acids
    • Any human pathogen that is risk group 2 (or the demonstrable equivalent) or higher according to the NIH guidelines
    • Any human derived materials including human cell culture
       

The IBC meets once a quarter to discuss submitted protocols. Most research that requires an IBC protocol can begin prior to IBC approval; the CITI training explains when IBC approval is required prior to beginning a research project. Protocols can be submitted by completing the appropriate forms available on the EHS website. 

Please note that any current research that falls under the description given in the first paragraph must complete an IBC protocol, even if that research has already begun. If you have an existing protocol from the previous IBC that is more than 5 years old, then you are also required to resubmit. The deadline for submitting a protocol for currently existing research is April 1, 2023. 
 
If you have any questions about submitting a protocol, please contact Research Compliance at researchcompliance@memphis.edu. If you have questions about the committee in general, please contact Bobby Clark at rclark12@memphis.edu.