Facilities_ABSL2

Animal Biosafety Level 2 (ABSL-2) Facility

National Institute of Animal Biotechnology, Hyderabad

🛡️ Safe Containment 🐁 Animal Welfare 🔬 Translational & Preclinical Research

Biosecure animal housing area inside the ABSL-2 facility at NIAB — Inside the ABSL-2 facility, NIAB

Work area and laboratory equipment inside the ABSL-2 facility at NIAB — ABSL-2 facility work area, NIAB

Introduction

The ABSL-2 facility is a state-of-the-art research platform designed for the safe handling, containment, and experimental investigation of laboratory animals exposed to infectious biological agents. The facility integrates advanced engineering controls and specialized scientific infrastructure to ensure biosafety and animal welfare while enabling high-quality translational and preclinical research.

Key containment infrastructure includes:

IVC Systems

Individually Ventilated Cage (IVC) systems for controlled and biosecure animal housing.

Class II Type A2 BSCs

Biological Safety Cabinets for the safe handling of infectious materials.

Pass-Through Autoclaves

Double-door pass-through autoclaves for decontamination and waste management.

Integrated BMS (IBMS)

Real-time monitoring and control of HVAC, environmental conditions, pressure differentials, and safety systems.

The facility is further supported by essential scientific equipment, including:

Centrifuges Homogenizers Dry Baths Vortex Mixers Weighing Balances Micro Burners

This infrastructure enables a broad range of microbiological, immunological, and infectious disease research applications.

Major Projects & Collaborations

The ABSL-2 facility supports multidisciplinary research programmes in infectious disease biology, host–pathogen interactions, vaccine development, and preclinical animal model establishment involving pathogens of human and veterinary importance.

Major research studies conducted in the facility include experimental infection and challenge studies involving:

Brucella spp. Pathogenic Leptospira interrogans Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) Mycobacterium bovis BCG Toxoplasma gondii Staphylococcus aureus Theileria annulata Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV)

The facility supports:

Biosafety-compliant animal infection and challenge studies
Vaccine immunogenicity and efficacy evaluation
Pathogen–host interaction studies
Virulence assessment
Translational research

These activities have established the facility as an important platform for infectious disease, veterinary, and biomedical research.

Biosafety, Regulatory Compliance & Oversight

The ABSL-2 facility operates in accordance with applicable institutional and national biosafety and animal experimentation requirements. Research activities involving infectious biological agents and laboratory animals are undertaken in accordance with approved protocols and relevant institutional requirements, under the oversight of the following committees:

FACILITY MANAGEMENT

ABSL-2 Monitoring & Management Committee

Manages and regulates facility operations, biosafety practices, maintenance of containment systems, and compliance with approved operational procedures.

BIOSAFETY

Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBSC)

Provides oversight of research activities involving infectious biological agents, as applicable.

ANIMAL ETHICS

Institutional Animal Ethics Committee (IAEC)

Provides oversight of research activities involving laboratory animals, as applicable.

External Users

Accessing the ABSL-2 Facility

The ABSL-2 facility is available to external academic, research, and industry users in accordance with approved institutional guidelines and applicable user charges. Details regarding facility access, available infrastructure, user guidelines, and applicable charges are provided in the guidelines document below.

View / Download User Guidelines (PDF)