Why are BSL-3 laboratories needed?
The U.S. government is investing billions of dollars in biodefense research, much of it directed toward development of new vaccines and therapies to protect Americans from infectious diseases that would result from bioterrorism. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration requires that newly identified vaccines and therapies be tested in nonhuman primates before they can be used to protect or treat humans. Since the United States currently does not have the capacity to test and evaluate the large number of treatments under development, additional specialized laboratory facilities are mandatory to meet this critical national need.
