Commonwealth Bio Wins CDC Approval for Flu Virus Research
Richmond-based Commonwealth Biotechnologies, Inc. (CBI) announced that it has been approved by the Department of Health and Human Services under the Select Agent Programs of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to carry out work on the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) – also called ” the bird flu virus.” The approval allows CBI to possess and use the virus within the United States.
“This is a milestone for CBI’s vaccine development services and marks the addition of avian flu to CBI’s list of vaccine support capabilities,” said Thomas Reynolds, executive vice president. Mr. Reynolds, who has senior management oversight responsibility for CBI’s Biosafety Level 3 (BSL-3) facility added, “CBI is one of a select few laboratories worldwide able to carry out this type of research.”
In order to be granted approval under this tightly regulated government program, CBI had to establish rigorous containment and safety procedures in its Biosafety Level 3 laboratories. Dr. Richard J. Freer, chairman and COO of CBI and the responsible official for the CDC/APHIS registration commented, “Few non-governmental entities have the facilities and expertise to perform avian flu research with the live virus in spite of the extensive need for this type of facility. This approval will now allow CBI to offer a world class facility to the myriad number of companies working in this area but constrained by not being able to develop and test their products against the actual virus.”
