Member Highlights

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!

The 2024 RAV3N Annual Meeting was hosted by The Ohio State University, Plant and Animal Agrosecurity Research Facility in Wooster, Ohio from August 13-15.

The 2.5 day meeting brought together experts from across the RAV3N Network to discuss the latest developments in biocontainment research, transboundary and emerging diseases, biorisk and response preparedness. The program also included member presentations highlighting updates and research accomplishments from their institutions, a panel discussion about the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) outbreak in dairy cattle, and a poster session.

It was great to see many RAV3N members networking and forming new collaborations! 

For the second consecutive year, RAV3N (Research Alliance for Veterinary Science and Biodefense BSL-3 Network) was thrilled to host an outreach event entitled “Introduction to Biocontainment Research” which taught high school students from across the country about biocontainment research and its benefits. They received an overview of biocontainment research and its benefits to humans and animals, as well as learned about career opportunities in this field.

The 41 students were attending a summer camp held by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Veterinary Science Certificate Program (VSCP). The students also had the opportunity to perform hands-on activities in the training lab including donning and doffing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), entry/exit procedures for BSL-3 laboratories, and testing out their pipetting skills at the lab bench.

The Research Alliance for Veterinary Science and Biodefense BSL-3 Network (RAV3N) hosted a BSL-3 Necropsy Workshop at the USDA National Animal Disease Center (NADC) in Ames, Iowa from April 29-May 2, 2024. The workshop brought together 22 RAV3N members working in high containment facilities to learn best practices for necropsy in ABSL-3Ag containment and discuss challenges and lessons learned from different facilities across the network. The workshop focused on performing necropsies in the biocontainment environment for a variety of livestock species used in infectious disease research, such as small ruminants, swine and poultry. The 2.5-day workshop consisted of didactic lectures, followed by hands-on activities. The participants also had the opportunity to practice entry and exit in a mock laboratory to practice biosafety procedures that would be required for working under BSL-3 conditions. Some of the topics discussed during this workshop were technical specifications for entry/exit in ABSL-3Ag, personal protective equipment (PPE) considerations, sharps handling and equipment, species-specific necropsy procedures, handling and processing of post-mortem samples, waste management, carcass disposal, and disinfection. The participants found the workshop to be highly valuable in that it taught new skills and techniques that they will bring back to their respective institutions. It was great to see our network members at this productive workshop sponsored by USDA.