Upstate Medical University opens vector biocontainment lab for research on coronavirus, other infectious diseases

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Upstate Medical University has opened a new vector biocontainment laboratory (VBL), which it describes as a “first-of-its-kind” facility to open and operate at Upstate.

The new VBL facility will allow Upstate Medical to conduct “more extensive” research on infectious diseases such as coronavirus, Lyme disease, West Nile encephalitis, Zika, and others.

The new lab is a BSL-3, which means it has an advanced biosafety level as dictated by the CDC. The level includes safety precautions for research on “potentially dangerous” diseases and their carriers.

Dr. Mantosh Dewan, president of Upstate Medical University, made the announcement Friday morning at Upstate’s Institute for Human Performance.

“For Upstate to add a BLS-3 vector biocontainment lab to our long list of cutting-edge research facilities is a fantastic accomplishment,” Dewan said. “Dr. Thangamani, Dr. Stephen J. Thomas and many others have devoted a great deal of time to planning this lab, which will further propel the already ground-breaking work of the Upstate Institute for Global Health and Translational Science. The last year has reminded the world of the importance of research into emerging infectious diseases and Upstate will once again be at the forefront of that work thanks to this incredible new facility.”

Saravanan Thangamani, professor of microbiology and immunology at Upstate and VBL director, has been involved in designing the new facility “from the moment he arrived at Upstate in spring 2019,” the medical school said. Thangamani previously worked at the University of Texas Medical Branch, where he conducted research in and helped operate both BSL-3 and BSL-4 facilities.

Thangamani — an internationally renowned expert on tick-borne disease research — will use the new facility in collaboration with SUNY researchers to develop universal anti-tick vaccine and novel countermeasures against arboviral infections.

“It is an integrated containment facility that gives us great versatility,” Thangamani said. “Upstate’s new vector biocontainment lab is a small facility with huge potential.”