Sites for a national biocontainment laboratory, other than the campus location identified in a proposal to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), will not be considered by NIH, officials at the University of California, Davis, learned this week.

That news came in a letter responding to a March 21 letter sent by the UC Davis Office of Research asking whether NIH would consider any alternative lab sites once it completes the scientific review of the lab proposals.

In the letter, NIH explained that a significant site change -- such as a change to a site off campus -- "could only be considered a change in the scope of the project from what was proposed in the original application" and would not be allowed.

A copy of the NIH letter is available online at http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/biosafetylab/nih_letter.lasso.

"This is a very important clarification from NIH in light of several suggestions in recent weeks from Sacramento-area governments of potential alternative sites for the proposed national biocontainment lab," said Virginia Hinshaw, UC Davis provost and executive vice chancellor. "The many expressions of support for the lab's public-health mission have been extremely gratifying, and we look forward to working with our colleagues in these regional governments on future efforts to protect the health and safety of our area.

"As we have said repeatedly, the on-campus site is a strong element of our proposal to NIH," Hinshaw said. "It offers scientists working at the lab opportunities for ongoing interaction with researchers in the nearby schools of medicine and veterinary medicine and at the primate research center. And we are confident that the lab can be constructed and operated safely and securely on campus."

UC Davis submitted a proposal in February to the National Institutes of Health for funding to build a $200 million National Biocontainment Laboratory for research and diagnostic work on some of the most serious infectious diseases. The UC Davis proposal submitted to NIH suggests siting the biocontainment laboratory at the southwest corner of the central campus, adjacent to the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital and the main school of medicine buildings.

Subsequently, informal suggestions of possible lab sites in other communities were received from a number of governmental agencies in the Sacramento area. In response, the campus shared with these agencies its general site requirements for the laboratory and invited them to send letters of interest by May 15.

The May 15 date was chosen with an eye to when NIH might be finished with scientific review of the proposals submitted by UC Davis and at least six other institutions throughout the nation.

In response, UC Davis has received letters expressing interest in possibly siting the lab from the City of Winters and Yuba County.

The City of West Sacramento advised the campus that construction of a major biomedical research center like the proposed lab would not be consistent with the city's current development priorities.

The campus was continuing discussions with other interested communities, including a May 13 meeting with Sacramento County and the City of Rancho Cordova to clarify laboratory site requirements.

It is now anticipated that the NIH review of the biocontainment lab proposals will be completed this summer and NIH will announce recipients of construction grants for one or two national biocontainment laboratories this fall.