September 28,  2020

US to build facility for studying animal diseases and supporting vaccine development

The United States will be setting up its first facility to provide maximum biocontainment (BSL-4) laboratories capable of housing cattle and other large livestock.

The facility, which will eventually replace the Plum Island Animal Disease Center (PIADC), will be operated on a secure, federally-owned site on the northwest corner of the Kansas State University (KSU).

The National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) will be a state-of-the-art, biocontainment laboratory for the study of diseases that threaten both US animal agricultural industry and public health. NBAF will strengthen the nation's ability to conduct research, develop vaccines, diagnose emerging diseases and train veterinarians.

The facility's critical systems will include redundant safety and biocontainment features. In the case of a tornado, the facility's biocontainment areas are designed to a standard similar to that applied in the nuclear industry for structural and containment integrity.

The US currently does not have a laboratory facility with a BSL-4 space to study high-consequence zoonotic diseases affecting large livestock.

Animal disease research, diagnostics and training are currently performed at PIADC. However, the aging facility is nearing the end of its lifecycle and does not have the capability to meet research needs in relation to emerging and foreign animal disease threats.

The US government is developing a plan to provide a seamless transition from PIADC to NBAF that includes an overlap of operations to ensure there is no interruption of the critical scientific objectives and operational capabilities.

The construction of the facility will be completed in May 2021. It will be fully operational in December 2022.

- USDA