Lessons Learned from the Design, Construction, and Commissioning of a Retrofitted Arthropod Containment Level 3...

Area of Science:

• Biosafety and Biosecurity
• Vector-borne Disease Research
• Arthropod Containment

Background:

• Arthropods transmit pathogens, posing significant global public health risks.
• Specialized insectary facilities, such as Arthropod Containment Level 3 (ACL-3), are crucial for safely handling these vectors.
• The construction of an ACL-3 facility at Arizona State University (ASU) experienced significant delays.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the project lifecycle of the ASU ACL-3 facility from design to commissioning.
• To identify lessons learned from the project's extended timeline.
• To provide insights for optimizing future high-containment arthropod facility construction.

Main Methods:

• A case study approach was employed to examine the ASU ACL-3 facility project.
• Gryphon Scientific, an independent biosafety and research expert team, conducted the study.
• The analysis focused on the design, construction, and commissioning phases, identifying challenges and successful strategies.

Main Results:

• The ASU ACL-3 facility project took over 4 years to achieve occupancy, impacted by factors including the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Key lessons learned include best practices for site assessment, managing retrofitted construction, commissioning preparation, team expertise, and addressing containment guideline gaps.
• ASU developed unique risk mitigation strategies for research not covered by existing guidelines.

Conclusions:

• The ASU ACL-3 project, despite delays, successfully established safe practices for handling arthropod vectors.
• The documented lessons learned and innovative mitigations will inform and improve future ACL-3 facility development.
• This study contributes to enhancing the efficiency and safety of constructing and operating high-containment insectaries for vector research.