Institutional BioSafety Committee (IBC)

The UCLA Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) was established as the local review body responsible for oversight of all research activities – including teaching laboratories – involving the use of hazardous biological material and recombinant or synthetic nucleic acids, as required and outlined in the NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant or Synthetic Nucleic Acid Molecules (NIH Guidelines) and the CDC/NIH Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (BMBL). The IBC is a faculty-led committee appointed by the UCLA Vice Chancellor for Research (VCR) and consists of experts in various fields, including biosafety, human gene therapy, infectious disease, recombinant DNA, animal containment, plant containment, and occupational health. The IBC is responsible for establishing, monitoring, and enforcing policies and procedures involving hazardous biological materials and recombinant/synthetic nucleic acids to meet applicable federal, state, local, and institutional regulations and guidelines.

The IBC reviews and approves protocols for academic research and teaching laboratories involving the following materials: recombinant/synthetic nucleic acid molecules, as covered by the NIH Guidelines; infectious agents that can cause disease in healthy humans and/or significant environmental or agricultural impacts, as covered by the BMB; select agents and select toxins, as covered by the CDC DSAT regulations; human and nonhuman primate materials, as covered by the Cal/OSHA Bloodborne Pathogen Standard; and genetically-modified animals and whole plants, as covered by the NIH Guidelines. At its discretion, the IBC may also review protocols involving animals or animal specimens known to be reservoirs/vectors of zoonotic diseases.

For more information, please visit the Institutional BioSafety Committee website.

Last updated
November 17, 2023