Education & Training

Mandatory Biosafety Training

• CITI Biosafety/Biosecurity Modules

  • At the moment, the CITI program requirement only applies to all personnel listed on new IBC application submissions and when adding project personnel onto an existing IBC-approved registration by amendment.
  • Once researchers complete the revised education requirements, CITI training will be valid indefinitely. As research goals change, however, additional modules may need to be taken.

• All MUSC employees (whether or not conducting research) are required to take annual biosafety-related training modules in MyQuest, which include

  • OSHA Review: which includes topics of hazardous materials and bloodborne pathogens

• It is the Principal Investigator’s responsibility to train personnel on IBC-approved biosafety procedures, prior to working in the lab.

  • Principal Investigators must have a biosafety protocol (a.k.a. Standard Operating Procedures or SOPs) to ensure compliance with safety guidelines outlined by the Center for Disease Control publication "Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (BMBL) 6th Edition | CDC Laboratories"
    • Template biosafety protocols
  • Safety protocols are reviewed during review of Institutional Biosafety Committee applications and as part of lab inspections.
  • Principal Investigators must train the personnel on the biosafety procedures as approved by the IBC, prior to starting the work.
  • Each person listed on the IBC registration must sign the associated biosafety protocols indicating that they have read, understand, and agree to follow the specified biosafety procedures.

• The Biosafety Officer may provide additional hands-on training for lab personnel as requested by the IBC.

Optional Educational Materials

• The following educational materials can be viewed as PowerPoint Slides:
  • Introduction to Biosafety Training at MUSC (PDF)
  • Unit 1: The role and responsibilities of the PI with respect to Biosafety and Animals at MUSC (PDF)
  • Unit 2: Principles of Biosafety as they relate to the safe conduct of science requiring the use of biohazardous materials at MUSC (PDF).
  • Unit 3: How to determine the relative biosafety risk associated with a planned experiment (PDF).
  • Unit 4: Specific Requirements for Biosafety Levels 1 to 3: PPE, Biological Safety Cabinets (BSCs) and the risks associated with centrifugation (PDF).
  • Unit 5: Biohazardous Spills (PDF)
  • Unit 6: Requirements for the biannual inspection (PDF)
  • Unit 7: Working with Biohazardous materials: The role of the PI in informing the laboratorian(s) of potential hazards in the workplace (PDF).
  • Unit 8: Risk Assessment of viral vectors (PDF)
  • Unit 9: Risk Assessment of Adenoviral vectors (PDF)
  • Unit 10: Risk Assessment of Retroviral vectors (PDF)
  • Unit 11: Risk Assessment of Biological Toxins (PDF)
• Introduction to Retroviral Vectors (PDF)
• Introduction to Adenoviral Vectors (PDF)

Miscellaneous Education Material

• CITI Biosafety Course (you can register to browse the Demo modules)
• American Biological Safety Association (ABSA) - Animal biosafety videos
• Biosafety Considerations for Research with Lentiviral Vectors
• Pathogen Safety Data Sheets and Risk Assessment (Public Health Agency of Canada)