George Mason University has received $27.7 million from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), for construction of a regional biocontainment laboratory at its Prince William Campus in Manassas, Va. The facility, named the George Mason University Biomedical Research Laboratory (BRL), is administered by the university's National Center for Biodefense and Infectious Diseases.

Size:
Approximately 53,000 square feet

Cost:
$48 million. In addition to the $27.7 million NIAID award, the university will provide an estimated $20.3 million in matching funds, and former Virginia Gov. Mark R. Warner committed $2.5 million on behalf of the commonwealth for land acquisition.

Purpose:
The BRL will contain a Biosafety Level-3 laboratory for the development of techniques and products for detection, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of infectious diseases that result from biological terrorism or arise naturally. Research will focus on pathogens considered by the U.S. government to be potential bioterror threats, such as those that cause anthrax, tularemia, and plague, as well as on emerging infectious diseases, such as SARS, West Nile virus, and influenza.

Design Architect:
RMJM Hillier

Design Standards:
The BRL is designed in compliance with laws, regulations, and policies imposed by state and federal governments, the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other accrediting agencies that govern the construction, use, security, inspection, and certification of BSL-3 laboratories,including safeguards to ensure the proper containment and destruction of infectious agents.