GOP lawmakers seeks information from CDC on lab capacity for COVID-19 research

Republican leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives are seeking information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on BioSafety Level (BSL)-3 and Animal BSL (ABSL)-3 laboratory capacity to conduct animal model research for COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics.

There are four main biosafety levels for laboratory research on biological agents ranging from BSL-1 to BSL-4, with BSL-4 posing the highest risk to biosafety, Research on COVID-19 requires laboratories with BSL-3 or greater capabilities.

However, no comprehensive data is available on current BSL-3 and ABSL-3 lab capacity, despite ongoing increased demand due to the COVID-19 public health emergency. Because there is no comprehensive information on capacity, the limited capacity of ABSL-3 labs cannot be managed effectively.

“The lack of information on BSL-3 laboratory capacity is of concern because it may be contributing to delays and bottlenecks in preclinical COVID-19 research. Although the BSL-3 laboratory capacity is not fully known, the extraordinary demand for COVID-19 preclinical research may have overwhelmed the known, available capacity,” Reps. Greg Walden (R-OR), Brett Guthrie (R-KY), and Michael Burgess (R-TX) wrote to CDC Director Robert Redfield.

The potentially limited or unknown lab capacity may be contributing to preclinical research delays, the lawmakers said.

“It is critical for the nation’s response to the pandemic to have the best understanding of the totality of such research assets in the U.S. in order to improve access for researchers, maximize research opportunities for identifying medical advances for COVID-19, bring in any underutilized laboratories to help relieve burdens on overworked research entities, and understand through traditional gap analysis whether there is appropriate high-containment laboratory capacity for biodefense strategic planning. Because the CDC has been a primary source of data for U.S. government assessments for laboratory capacity, we would appreciate the CDC’s assistance to explore ways for obtaining comprehensive data on BSL-3 laboratories and ABSL-3 laboratories in the U.S.,” the lawmakers added.