Past EBSA events

2 days of EBSA pre conference courses on Tuesday 14 and Wednesday 15 May 2024

2 days of EBSA conference on Thursday 16 and Friday 17 May 2024.

The course will provide an overview of the field of Synthetic Biology, ranging from mainstream developments, and applications, to the alternative DIYBio movement. Case studies will be used to illustrate key mainstream advancements in whole cell modelling, live synthetic cells, synthetic DNA, and CRISPR genome editing. The impact of biohacking and the garage biology movement will also be discussed. 

The course is designed as an introduction to the field of Synthetic Biology for non-experts, and will be delivered through a mix of lectures, supporting videos and participant discussion.

The course will provide the information to understand how adults learn and apply this to strategies for training and assessing competency. During the course, instructors will explain the key challenges to training adults, how to understand learning preferences and identify training needs of individual or groups. In addition to that, participants will learn how to define and assess competences and how to analyse the suitability of a trainer.

After introducing the basic concepts about individual and collective equipment, the training will focus on biosafety cabinets (BSC) with particular attention to defining the protection range and differences of each type of BSC. Factors affecting the effectiveness of the BSC (misuse, location, etc.) will be highlighted through a technical demonstration. The first part of the course will also describe some ways to decontaminate the BSC work surface and HEPA filters. The second part of this course will cover personal protective equipment, focusing on the main properties of masks and gloves. Beside explaining the criteria to consider when selecting the appropriate PPE, the training will use practical approaches to raise awareness of poor practices that could compromise the effectiveness of the PPE.

When outbreaks of high-risk viral pathogens strike, aspects of laboratory diagnostics or research are often performed directly in the field, at the epicenter of the epidemic. What then, are the required biosafety precautions to apply and how can they be implemented under challenging conditions? 

It is known that human reliability and behaviour have a major impact on an individuals ability to work safely in a laboratory; and yet these same factors can be overlooked when assessing the risks in that laboratory. This pre-conference course will take your risk assessments to the next level through ensuring that human reliability is accounted for in risk assessments and introduce the concept of safety critical task analysis.

This pre-conference course is aimed at those individuals who are already risk assessors or understand the risk assessment process and provide attendees with the skills and knowledge to complete safety critical task analysis. It will not only consist of theory sessions on risk assessment and human reliability but also a visit to teaching laboratories at ITM and so taking the biological risk assessment process from paper to practice.

Mastering BSL-3 Laboratory Operations Throughout Its Lifecycle: Overcoming Challenges at Every Stage.

After presenting the major risks encountered when working with insects that may carry pathogens or parasites, the course will address the characteristics of laboratories dedicated to their containment (ACL1-3). In addition to the structural elements of these specialized laboratories, the course will also describe best practices and appropriate protective equipment to use. The presentation will be completed by a visit to an ACL. Participants will also be involved in an interactive exercise (carried out in groups of 3-4 participants) of risk assessment for the proposed study cases.

Biosecurity impacts all biosafety professionals to varying degrees. As biosafety professionals we also have to give guidance and advise on biosecurity issues. How can one determine the potential for misuse within a laboratory setting? What biosecurity measures help preventing misuse? What elements need to be considered in a biosecurity concept? 

It is a basic course for biosafety officers, biosafety professionals and other interested persons who also have biosecurity responsibilities. This course will provide participants with an overview about the main elements of a biosecurity program and concrete examples from practice covering the veterinary as well as the human side.

Biosecurity impacts all biosafety professionals to varying degrees. As biosafety professionals we also have to give guidance and advise on biosecurity issues. How can one determine the potential for misuse within a laboratory setting? What biosecurity measures help preventing misuse? What elements need to be considered in a biosecurity concept? 

It is a basic course for biosafety officers, biosafety professionals and other interested persons who also have biosecurity responsibilities. This course will provide participants with an overview about the main elements of a biosecurity program and concrete examples from practice covering the veterinary as well as the human side.

This online course is designed to provide attendees with a basic knowledge and requirements to complete risk assessments of laboratory activities.

One of the requirements of the 'contained use' legislation is the use of validated methods for inactivation of these GMOs and pathogens, the decontamination of work tables, etc. This is where the biocidal products regulation (BPR) comes in. However, for certain applications (e.g. inactivation of parasites, disinfection of water baths to heat up laboratory reagents), there are currently no authorised biocidal products available on the market.  

ISO35001:2019 Biorisk management for laboratories and related organizations is the well-known ISO management system standard supporting you in organizing biosafety and biosecurity in your organization and helping you to address all biorisk management issues that need to be addressed in a concerted manner. It builds on the continuous improvement plan- do-check-act-cycle to keep your biosrisk management system up to date and under control. ISO35001 was designed by biosafety experts like you form different countries around the globe, being a truly international standard, within the context of the International Standardization Organization, ISO, Technical Committee TC212, Clinical laboratory testing and in vitro diagnostic test systems

A 2,5 hour online course (including a break and question session)

Instructor: Dominic Muyldermans

Description: The principles of Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) were first recognised under the Convention on Biological Diversity, refined in the Nagoya Protocol and are further implemented in national ABS laws. In EU an additional compliance regulation applies.

EBSA members can join a part of the 20th Workshop of the International Veterinary Biosafety Working group online.

During this workshop you will first get an introduction on the topic ‘commissioning and decommissioning’. In the afternoon there will be plenty of opportunity to share your experiences during our round table discussion. Focus will be on BSL2 facilities.

To end the day, you will get an insight into the ITM’s history and get a tour at this unique location. 

Instructors: Adam Stevenson and Wendy Shell

Aim: To be aware of human factors and how to take account of such in a laboratory or in vivo containment facility.

There are a variety of investigational human and veterinary medicinal products consisting of or containing GMOs. GMOs for human medicines may include the following: human cells modified ex vivo; vaccines; recombinant virus-based vectors, including those containing genome editing nucleic acid sequences (which may also be delivered non-virally) and bacterial vectors.Medicinal products based onmRNA are on the rise. One need to define which constructs are still GMOs or not, which constructs are less or more hazardous than the wildtype virus, they are derived from, and which might serve as agent to harm others. How are people and the environment protected when they are widely used, also outside controlled laboratory settings. There is guidance and regulation. Which ones to apply is the one hundred Euroquestions.