About

Mission and Safety

Watch this video on YouTube

John R. Murphy, PhD, Director ad interim (2011-2014), and Tom Robbins, Executive Director of Public Safety, discuss the NEIDL’s mission, commitment to community safety, and lab security features. Director of Research Safety Ron Morales explains biosafety training and procedures.

The National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories (NEIDL) is part of a national network of secure facilities studying infectious diseases that are—or have the potential to become—major public health concerns. The laboratories are dedicated to the development of diagnostics, vaccines, and treatments to combat emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. In addition to BSL-2 and BSL-3 laboratories, the NEIDL houses a BSL-4 laboratory. The NEIDL adds to the growing life sciences industry in the region, throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and across the country.

The NEIDL uses state-of-the-art technologies designed to conduct research in safe and secure environments. In fact, the facility was designed and constructed with the highest attention to community and laboratory safety and security. The laboratories emphasize comprehensive core research facilities that enable basic, translational, and clinical research and the development of products related to emerging infectious diseases. Core support laboratories containing sophisticated facilities—including high-power microscopes, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machines, and diagnostic tools to study new vaccines and drugs—are housed at the NEIDL.

The NEIDL represents a major step forward in advancing public health and solidifying the New England area’s reputation as the biomedical research hub of the nation. Supported by all local research institutions, the 192,000-square-foot, seven-story building serves as a venue and resource for training researchers in infectious diseases. The facility is located within BioSquare, a biomedical research and business park adjacent to the Boston University Medical Campus.