Biological Safety

National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Amend Guidelines for
Recombinant DNA Molecules Research

All new and ongoing experiments will be subject to the revised guidelines and must be registered by the Principal Investigators.

 

DEADLINE FOR
REGISTRATION
March 5, 2013

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently amended the NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant DNA Molecules to:

  • Include use of synthetic nucleic acid molecules (DNA and RNA). All work involving synthetic nucleic acids, including those that are chemically or otherwise modified analogs of nucleotides (e.g. morpholinos) should be registered with the Biosafety Office. Although many of these types of experiments may be exempt from the Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) review, it is UF policy that these projects are still registered.  

Recombinant DNA Registration Forms

  • More closely scrutinize the use of antibiotic resistance genes in infectious agents. When introducing antibiotic resistance genes into pathogenic agents not known to acquire the trait naturally, the guidelines now indicate that if the antibiotic in question may be important in treating a “niche” group (children, pregnant women, the elderly) infected with that pathogen, the work will be subject to Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee (RAC) review prior to approval. Previously, these experiments were only subject to RAC review if the antibiotic in question was the primary treatment option.

Additional information regarding these changes may be found on the
NIH webiste. 

Our mission is to protect UF employees, students, affiliates, the general public, and the environment from harmful biological materials. The UF Biosafety Program provides guidance on the appropriate containment principles, technologies, and practices needed to prevent accidental exposures or releases involving human, animal, or plant disease agents, recombinant DNA, biologically-derived toxins, or other biohazards. We work with UF’s life science research, health care, agricultural, and biotechnology communities to promote the safe handling and containment of these agents and to ensure compliance with local, state, federal, and international regulations for biohazards.

BIOSAFETY HANDOUTS