The Wadsworth Center Institutional Biosafety Committee
Mission
The Wadsworth Center's Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) provides local review and oversight of research that utilizes recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid molecules. The IBC ensures that the research is compliant with the requirements articulated in the NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant or Synthetic Nucleic Acid Molecules (NIH Guidelines).
Membership
The IBC consists of 10 regular voting members, including seven scientific staff of the Center, the Biosafety Officer, and two members that are not employees of the Center and who represent the interests of the surrounding community. Ad hoc members are added to provide additional expertise on an as-needed basis. Members are appointed by Division Directors upon advice of the IBC Chair and the Biosafety Officer. The Chair is one of the seven scientific staff and is appointed by the Center Deputy Director. Membership is for a term of three years. Members may be reappointed for additional terms.
Meetings
IBC meetings are held commensurate with the volume of protocols needing review, but no less than once per year. A minimum of five members constitutes a quorum for voting purposes and must include the Chair, Biosafety Officer, two scientific staff, and one community member. Approval of applications is by consensus of all members present at a meeting in which a vote is taken. Members absent from a meeting can request deferral of the final vote until they have had an opportunity to express their opinion to the Committee. If further deliberations fail to create a consensus, the application along with a summary of the Committee's deliberations is presented to the Center Deputy Director who makes the final decision.
Meeting minutes will be posted here as they occur as of June 1, 2025.