June 10, 2010 – Prince William County Virginia – George Mason University celebrated the opening of its 53,000 square foot Biomedical Research Laboratory (BRL) today with a ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony. One of only 13 Biosafety Level 3 laboratories nationwide, the BRL is part of George Mason University’s Center for Biodefense and Infectious diseases and is located at the heart of Prince William County’s Innovation Technology Park. The facility is home to research in the fields of infectious diseases, proteomics, and genomics with specific focus on the development of techniques and products for the detection, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases that result from biological terrorism and natural occurrences.
“[W]e feel certain that our BRL-based research will lead to medical breakthroughs that will ultimately help protect the nation from bioterrorism and outbreaks of infectious disease,” said Dr. Charles Bailey , Executive Director of Mason’s National Center for Biodefense and Infectious Diseases.
The laboratory is already serving as a magnet for top researchers and companies in biodefense and infectious diseases, according to Bailey. “By bringing new research jobs to Prince William County – such as infectious disease scientists and technical support personnel – as well as attracting new grants and funding, we hope that the facility will lead to significant economic growth,” says Bailey.
The opening of this facility underscores Prince William County’s position at the leading edge of some of the most important work in life sciences and biodefense happening today and George Mason University’s Bio Research Laboratory represents yet another powerful catalyst for the growth of Prince William County’s Life Sciences community.
Senator Mark Warner, former Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, noted that the facility will be a boon to the region’s life sciences community. “The dedication of Mason’s BRL is another giant step forward in growing our biotech industry and revving-up Virginia’s economic engine,” Warner says, “I was pleased to support this effort when I was Governor to construct this nationally important laboratory here in Virginia.”
The BRL was funded in part by a $25 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, awarded to George Mason University for the construction of a regional biocontainment lab at its Prince William Campus. George Mason University provided $15.3 million of additional funding to develop the laboratory, and the Commonwealth of Virginia provided $2.5 million for land acquisition.