[BSL-4 facility and New virus research in Japan]

Viral hemorrhagic fevers such as Ebola virus disease, Marburg disease, Lassa fever, and Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever are infectious diseases that can cause severe, life-threatening illness. At present, there are only few licensed vaccines and antiviral drugs for these viral hemorrhagic fevers. The viruses which cause these viral hemorrhagic fevers are classified as BSL-4 pathogens and can be handled only in BSL-4 containment laboratories. Therefore, to develop the vaccines and treatments for these diseases, BSL-4 facility is essential. However, the BSL-4 facility available for the basic or applied research using infectious BSL-4 pathogens has not been established in Japan so far. In July 2021, the construction of BSL-4 facility was completed at the campus of Nagasaki University. After the preparation for the full operation, the facility will be approved by the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare as a BSL-4 facility. Here, I introduce the BSL-4 facility project of Nagasaki University and state the contributions of the BSL-4 facility to research and development.