The National Institutes of Health requires an Institutional Biosafety Committee for any organization that receives federal funding to perform work with recombinant or synthetic nucleic molecules. The committee must approve all work with the following materials, and provide oversight to biosafety related research at Rutgers University. The Institutional Biosafety Committee reviews and approves all research at Rutgers University that falls into the following categories:

• Recombinant and synthetic nucleic acids
• Pathogenic Microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, parasites, fungi, etc. at BSL2 and higher)
• Biological Toxins
• Creation of a transgenic animal
• Creation of a transgenic plant
• Administration of rDNA to an animal or plant
• Human Gene Therapy
• Research with Human cells or human materials
• Dual Use Research of Concern

The protocol form for the IBC is online at myrehs.rutgers.edu in the Biosafety Protocol Management System (BPMS).

For access to the BPMS, or for assistance with the IBC protocol form, please contact biosafety@rutgers.edu

Rutgers Guidelines for COVID-19 Research

All researchers must receive IBC approval prior to beginning work with any COVID-19 related materials. The IBC has approved a SARS2 Laboratory Research Guidelines, which defines relevant biosafety levels, containment requirements, inactivation information, and points of contact for working with COVID-19 related research materials. For any questions about IBC requirements for COVID-19 related research, please contact biosafety@rutgers.edu.

IBC Co-Chairs

Ronald Hart, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience
Division of Life Sciences and Center for Collaborative Neuroscience
Chair, Central Standing Committee
rhart@rutgers.edu

Aimee Beaulieu, PhD
Assistant Professor & Chancellor Scholar
Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics
New Jersey Medical School
Chair, North Standing Committee
ab1550@njms.rutgers.edu

The committee roster has been approved by the NIH Office of Science Policy and meets the requirements for the IBC composition as outlined in the NIH Guidelines.

IBC Handbook

Accessing Your IBC Approval Letters and Protocols

If you are a Rutgers PI and need a copy of your IBC approval letter for a grant application or award, you can find it in the File Cabinet section of your protocol. Log into the Biosafety Protocols database via MyREHS (myrehs.rutgers.edu), select 'View' to open your protocol, click the “File Cabinet” button, and look for the latest version under “System Files”. You can also find a printable PDF copy of your approved protocol in this same section (choose the latest version number).

Meeting Dates, Submission Deadlines, and Minutes

The IBC meets as two standing committees on alternating months; one that reviews protocols for the northern Rutgers sites, and the other that reviews protocols for the central and southern sites. Protocols can be reviewed at either meeting. The meeting dates are listed below. At this time, meetings are held via Webex to facilitate participation and allow for full committee discussion.   

Note: To be eligible for a meeting agenda,  the protocol must meet the Submission Deadline for that month (see below). 

Meeting minutes are available upon request as required by the NIH Guidelines for Recombinant and Synthetic Nucleic Acids by emailing biosafety@rutgers.edu but will be redacted to protect security related information.