Member Highlights

Earlier this month, the RAV3N Network was delighted to hold the “Decontamination & Decommissioning of PIADC Facilities Workshop”, hosted by the Plum Island Animal Disease Center (PIADC).

The 2-day workshop featured presentations about the fascinating history and mission of PIADC from over 70 years protecting the U.S. agriculture and livestock from transboundary animal diseases, as well as an overview of the Plum Island Closure and Support (PICS) Program, future transitions of the scientific mission to the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility, and eventual closure of the laboratory.

A special “thank you” to the Department of Homeland Security - PIADC Team for the hospitality and opportunity.

The Research Alliance for Veterinary Science and Biodefense BSL-3 Network (RAV3N) held for the second consecutive year a BSL-3 Necropsy Workshop, this year held at the Texas A&M University Global Health Research Complex (GHRC) in College Station, Texas from May 20-22, 2025.

Over the course of 2.5-day, participants from across the network worked on increasing understanding of biosecurity/biosafety, procedures for donning and doffing PPE, handling and processing of post-mortem samples and carcass management/disposal. They also had opportunities to enter containment and perform complete necropsies on chickens, pigs, and goats, and tour the Texas A&M University Global Health Research Complex.

A sincere thank you to the workshop instructors and the engaged attendees for making this a successful training, provided the feedback received from participants!

Thank you to the RAV3N members for a great conversation and sharing your knowledge with colleagues.

Awareness and interest in the  Research Alliance for Veterinary Science and Biodefense BSL-3 Network (RAV3N) has continuously increased this year. During the 2024 year, RAV3N host its virtual monthly working group meetings, as well as had in person meetings that allowed members of the network to get together and promoted knowledge exchange and networking.

The in person workshops hosted by RAV3N in 2024 were the BSL-3 Necropsy workshop, the BSL-3/4 Facilities and Operations workshop, and the annual meeting. The Necropsy workshop was held in April at the USDA National Animal Disease Center (NADC) in Ames, Iowa and brought together 22 members from the network. The workshop focused on performing necropsies in a biocontainment environment and allowed members to discuss and learn the best practices for necropsies in ABSL-3Ag facilities. The Facilities and Operations workshop brought together 10 network members and was hosted in September at the Texas A&M University Global Health Research Complex in partnership with the University of Texas Medical Branch Galveston National Laboratory, where the members had the opportunity to go for a tour. The workshop gave members the chance to discuss relevant topics in operations and maintenance of these complex facilities and share lessons learned. The annual meeting was hosted in August by The Ohio State University, Plant and Animal Agrosecurity Research Facility in Wooster, Ohio and brought together the members to discuss the latest developments in biocontainment research.

With the recent outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in dairy cattle, RAV3N organized and coordinated bi-weekly calls with its members to share and discuss research plans, coordinated emergency response and funding opportunities.

The 2025 will be another busy year for the RAV3N network as we have many in person workshops and meetings planned for our members and we cannot wait to share the accomplishments of the upcoming year!

The RAV3N Network was invited to present at the 1st Biosafety and Biosecurity Symposium on High-Containment Biological Environments, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from October 29 to 31 and hosted by the Institute Bio-Manguinhos / Fiocruz- one of the largest vaccine manufacturers in Latin America.

This symposium aimed to bring together scientists, biosafety professionals and industry partners involved in the development of effective biosafety, biosecurity and quality assurance to share experiences and discuss current and future challenges related to biosecurity.

Dr. Renata Landers, RAV3N Program Manager, provided an overview of network activities and accomplishments as well as highlighted RAV3N as a model of a high containment network that could be replicated in other countries.

We are grateful for the opportunity to share about the RAV3N network with colleagues in the same field and to visit a renowned institution in Brazil.

Bio-Manguinhos/Fiocruz - English - Bio-Manguinhos/Fiocruz || Public Health Innovation

The 3-day workshop hosted by the Operations, Biosafety and Biorisk Working Group of RAV3N took place in College Station and Galveston, Texas on September 24-26, 2024 and convened experts from across the RAV3N network to discuss many biocontainment facility related topics and issues related to operational standing up and maintenance of these complex facilities. In addition to the roundtable discussions on diverse topics in maintenance and lessons learned in biocontainment facilities, our members also had the opportunity to tour the Texas A&M University Global Health Research Complex and the University of Texas Medical Branch Galveston National Laboratory.

Our sincere appreciation to RAV3N members for the great discussions and for sharing their knowledge and experience with colleagues!