Institutional Biosafety Committee
Simmons University is committed to responsible and safe research. As such, all laboratory work involving biological agents is subject to IBC approval.
All new protocols will require the completion and submission of the IRB application, as well as approval by the IBC committee prior to initiation of any work with biological agents. Additionally, as noted on the application, all parties involved in the research protocol must complete the online safety training as a condition of approval.
Per the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Institutional Biosafety Committees (IBCs) were established to provide local review and oversight of nearly all forms of research utilizing recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid molecules. Over time, many institutions have chosen to assign their IBCs the responsibility of reviewing a variety of experimentation that involves biological materials (e.g., infectious agents) and other potentially hazardous agents (e.g., carcinogens). This additional responsibility is assigned entirely at the discretion of the institution.