(Mike Osborne) — Vanderbilt Medical Center announced last week it plans to expand the bio-hazard labs its researchers use to study dangerous pathogens.
In a press statement, VUMC said it had received an $8 million federal grant to construct a “BioSafety Level 3 facility for research involving the COVID-19 virus, anthrax and other dangerous microorganisms.”
Level 3 is the second highest level of bio-containment a lab can achieve.
The new 3,500 square foot lab complex will join two smaller level 3 labs that Vanderbilt says are now outdated.
The new lab will allow the university to research pathogen countermeasures, vaccines, and diagnostic tests for emerging threats such as COVID-19.