Detailed information about the course
| Title | Interactive session for PhD students - Swiss Microbial safety Meeting 2013 |
| Dates | January 14 & 15, 2013 |
| Responsable de l'activité | Stefan Kunz |
| Organizer(s) | Prof. Stefan Kunz UNIL/CHUV Prof. Pascal Meylan, UNIL/CHUV |
| Speakers | see Program |
| Description | Interactive session for Ph.D students at the Swiss Microbial Safety Meeting 2013Description of the activityThis activity consists of an interactive session for Ph.D students at the Swiss Microbial Safety Meeting 2013 on January 14 2013. The goal of this interactive session is to sensitize the awareness of our students for biological risks they may encounter during their research activity in microbiology. This will be achieved in an exercise in which students will prepare and present a microbiology research project under the aspect of biological risk assessment and biosafety classification in front of international and national experts in biosafety. The activity will include a maximum of 10 groups of two Ph.D. students each. The students will receive the description of a specific research project in microbiology together with a research article and a more general review on the topic from the resident experts (Meylan, Folletti, and Kunz) at least 1 month before the meeting. Topics will include the study and the generation of novel pathogenic microbes that are a potential threat for humans, agriculture, and/or the environment. The students will prepare a presentation of their project with particular consideration of biosafety risk assessment. As a result of their work, the students have to define the appropriate biosafety category of the work that they propose. At the meeting 1 hour will be allocated for the final work on the presentation (8 minutes of presentation + 4 minutes of discussion) with support from the experts. In the following interactive session, the students will present their projects to the experts and the other participants of the meeting in a 2 hour interactive session. After the presentation, the students will meet with the experts in a round-table discussion of at least 1 hour to evaluate their presentations and receive feedback on their biosafety risk assessment. Projects to evaluate from a biosafety standpointProject 1: Creation of a “killer poxvirus” Poxviruses belong to the most pathogenic viruses with smallpox being the worst disease that ever affected mankind, killing more people than all other diseases, natural disasters and wars combined. A major reason for the virulence of poxviruses is their ability to suppress host immunity. In 2001, a recombinant mousepox (Ectromelia) virus has been reported that expressed the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-4 and showed markedly enhanced virulence in animal experiments. The generation of this “killer poxvirus” raised significant concerns about biosafety of this type of recombinant poxviruses. Article describing the study: For this project, the following questions should be addressed: 1. What makes IL-4 expressing Ectromelia virus vectors “killer poxviruses”? 2. What are the biosafety risk concerns for studies with this virus? 3. What biosafety precautions and biosafety classification are needed for this type of study? 4. Should this type of studies be performed at all? Recommended articles for background information:
Project 2: A highly pathogenic emerging virus: Sin Nombre Hantavirus Hantaviruses are rodent-borne viruses that have been emerging over the past decades and can be associated with severe human disease. The hantaviruses Sin Nombre virus (SNV) and Andes Virus (ANDV) have emerged in North- and South America as causative agents of a severe human respiratory disease, hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS). In America the fatality rate of infection with ADNV and SNV is close to 30% and human transmission has been shown making these viruses a particular concern for public health. There is currently no licensed vaccine against hantaviruses and therapeutic options are restricted making hantaviruses some of the most dangerous pathogens. The study in question investigates the interaction of SNV with the host cell. Article describing the study: For this project, the following questions should be addressed: 1. What are the biosafety risk concerns for studies with this virus, in particular regarding transmission? 2. What biosafety precautions and biosafety classification are needed for this type of study according to federal rules and regulations? 3. What additional safety precautions would you enforce in your laboratory when performing this study? Recommended article for background information:
Project 3: Ebola virus The filovirus Ebola virus belongs to the most virulent pathogens with a case mortality of over 90% for some strains and isolates. In humans Ebola virus can cause a severe and often hemorrhagic shock syndrome. There is no vaccine against Ebola virus and current therapeutic options are limited to supportive care. The present study investigates cellular factors that are involved in Ebola virus infection in human cells. Article describing the study: For this project, the following questions should be addressed: 1. What makes Ebola virus such a virulent pathogen? 2. What are the biosafety risk concerns for studies with this virus? 3. What biosafety precautions and biosafety classification are needed for this type of study? Recommended article for background information: Feldmann H and Geisbert TW. Ebola hemorrhagic fever. Lancet 2011 377: 849
Project 4: Botulinum toxin Botulinum toxin is one of the most toxic biological agents at the origin of botulism a life-threatening illness in humans and animals. Botulinum toxin can be used in a wide breadth of settings ranging from the most positive as clinical treatment to the most negative as biological weapons or bioterrorism. The present study investigates the antigenic potential of different protein fragments to develop a more effective vaccine. Article describing the study: For this project, the following questions should be addressed: 1. What makes Botulinum neurotoxin such a dangerous protein? 2. What are the biosafety risk concerns for studies with this pathogen? 3. What biosafety precautions and biosafety classification are needed for this type of study? Recommended article for background information:
Project 5: Staphylococcus aureus The Staphylococcus aureus is frequently found in the human respiratory tract and on the skin. Not always pathogenic, it is a major human pathogen associated with a wide spectrum of diseases (skin infections, respiratory disease and food poisoning). Methicillin-resistant strains of S. aureus (MRSA) are a global cause of hospital-associated infections. The present study analyzes the importance of the carotinoid pigment to S aureus enhanced oxidant and neutrophil resistance. Article describing the study: For this project, the following questions should be addressed: 1. What makes S. aureus such a virulent pathogen? 2. What are the biosafety risk concerns for studies with this pathogen? 3. What biosafety precautions and biosafety classification are needed for this type of study? Recommended article for background information:
Project 6: H5N1 The H5N1 is a subtype of the influenza A virus which can cause illness in humans and other animal species. The present study describe how to create H5N1 influenza A virus that can be transmitted via respiratory route between ferrets and rise several questions and controversies around publishing potential dual-use data. Article describing the study: For this project, the following questions should be addressed: 1. What makes H5N1 such a virulent pathogen? 2. What are the biosafety risk concerns for studies with this pathogen? 3. What biosafety precautions and biosafety classification are needed for this type of study? Recommended article for background information:
Project 7: Schmallenberg Virus During the second semester of 2011, a newly described bunyavirus has spread throughout Europe and infecting ruminants, particularly sheeps, causing non specific clinical signs and malformations in fetuses from infected mothers. There is an obvious research and diagnostic need to deal with this virus of potential major economic significance Articles describing the problem: Virus de Schmallenberg, Office Vétérinaire Fédéral, available in the three national languages For this project, the following questions should be addressed: 1. Is this virus a medical (human pathogen) concern? 2. What are the biosafety risk concerns for studies with this virus? 3. What biosafety precautions and biosafety classification are needed for this type of study? Recommended article for background information: SCIENTIFIC REPORT OF EFSA "Schmallenberg" virus: Analysis of the Epidemiological Data and Assessment of Impact, European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), Parma, Italy, EFSA Journal 2012;10(6):2768, www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/doc/2768.pdf
Project 8: Influenza A chimeric glycoproteins Influenza A viruses can cause influenza of varying severity, from relatively mild cases as in seasonal epidemics, to more severe pandemic influenza (such as during the 1918 spanish flu caused then by H1N1, characterized by about 2% mortality), to very severe zoonotic flu as exemplified by the H5N1 avian flu since 2003, with a more than 50% mortality rate in cases. Various viral genes have been implicated in determining this pathogenic power. The present study describes chimeric constructs from different influenza hemagglutinins, and the production of functional viruses containing these chimeric glycoproteins Article describing the study: Influenza viruses expressing chimeric hemagglutinins: globular head and stalk domains derived from different subtypes. For this project, the following questions should be addressed: 1. What is the role of influenza hemagglutinin in determining the virus pathogenic power (virulence)? 2. What are the biosafety risk concerns for studies with this virus? 3. What biosafety precautions and biosafety classification are needed for this type of study? Recommended article for background information:
Project 9: Recombination in Herpesviruses Live attenuated Herpesvirus vaccines are widely used inhuman and veterinary medicine. When co-infecting host cells, they can recombine with closely related viruses. The present study describes the testing of a recombinant avian herpesvirus expressing highly pathogenic avian influenza hemagglutinin Article describing the study: For this project, the following questions should be addressed: 1. What is the pathogenicity of highly pathogenic avian influenza in the frame of the recombinant vaccine 2. What are the biosafety risk concerns for studies with this virus? 3. What biosafety precautions and biosafety classification are needed for this type of study? 4. What could go wrong in large scale application of this vaccine Recommended article for background information:
Project 10: Lentiviral vector expressing a growth factor Recombinant viruses expressing genes of interest are extremely widely used tools in biology and medicine (gene therapy vectors). The evaluation of the risks of such viruses is relatively complex. In particular, when the transduced gene encodes a gene product able to sustain cell and/or tumor growth, there is a concern regarding cell transformation and tumorigenesis Article describing the study:
For this project, the following questions should be addressed: 1. What could be the adverse effect of VEGF165 over-expression 2. What are the biosafety risk concerns for studies with this virus vector? 3. What biosafety precautions and biosafety classification are needed for this type of study?
Recommended article for background information:
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| Location |
EPFL |
| Credits | 1 |
| Information | Location: EPFL campus, auditorium SV1717 (Building SV, School of biological sciences)More information and ProgramIf you are interested in this course, please:
Important: the CHF 50.00 Conference fee will be reimbursed by the CUSO doctoral program via the CUSO reimbursement form. |
| Places | 20 |
| Deadline for registration | 15.12.2012 |
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