In 2017 to 2020, Wuhan Institute of Virology, CAS, continuously held the International Workshop on Biosafety Laboratory Management and Techniques for four times, with the purpose of aWuhan Institute of Virology, CAS, was established in 1956. It is a comprehensive research institute specially working on basic virology research and the relevant technological innovation. The Institute focuses on the basic and application basis research on virology, emerging biotechnology and biosafety for fulfilling the strategic demands of national biosafety and population health by utilizing the CAS senior biosafety laboratory cluster platforms. The Institute has a BSL-4 laboratory, the only BSL-4 laboratory constructed based on international standards and the first to be put into formal use in China, 2 BSL-3 laboratories and 25 BSL-2 laboratories.
Wuhan National Biosafety Laboratory is the core biosafety platform of biosafety mega-science research center that was jointly built by Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Health Commission and the Hubei Provincial platform. It is the only biosafety P4 laboratory built based on international standards and the first P4 laboratory put into use. It is the critical mega-science facility to fill the blank of China’s biosafety system and respond to major biosafety threaten.
In January, 2015, the construction contents of Wuhan P4 Laboratory were completed, and the examination and review by third parties were started. In 2017, the Laboratory Accreditation Certificate by China National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment was obtained. After the review of National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China, the laboratory was put into operation in January, 2018. In the laboratory, the research on detection of fulminating pathogens, infection pathopoiesia mechanism, screening of antiviral drugs and vaccine development and other aspects, in order to form a relatively complete research unit on emergency diseases and develop the laboratory into China’s research and development center on the prevention and control of emerging diseases, the preservation center of virus cultures and the reference laboratory of WHO.
By keeping constructing and upgrading the safe, stable operation capability, biological resource preservation capability, scientific support service capability, emergency response capability for public health and the biosafety strategic capability of national service, the laboratory is to play a fundamental, technical supporting role in the prevention and control of China’s major, emerging infectious diseases, and can effectively improve China’s defense and response capabilities against biological warfare and terrorist attacks, safeguarding national biosafety.
The laboratory always follows the management principle of “open, sharing and transparent”. The International Workshop on Biosafety Laboratory Management and Techniques has been held for continuous 4 years, cultivating the personnel in the prevention and control of infectious diseases and biosafety management. The laboratory has become the designated laboratory of United Nations Secretary-General's Mechanism (UNSGM) and the member of the Group of High-containment Laboratory Directors (GHOLD) due to its active participation in the global and regional systems of biosafety laboratories, and it shares management experience and technical progress with international peers. The personnel of the laboratory did not only participate in the biosafety training held in France, US, Canada and Australia but also invited biosafety experts from France, US, Canada, UK and Germany to visit the laboratory to provide instructions and exchange management experience, jointly propelling the safe, stable and efficient operation of global biosafety laboratories. Besides, in terms of international cooperation projects, instructed by the Steering Committee China-France Cooperation in Prevention and Control against Emerging Infectious Diseases and based on Wuhan P4 Laboratory, a research program about Nipah virus study has been prepared jointly by Wuhan Institute of Virology, INSERM (French National Institute of Health and Medical Research), Aix-Marseille University, Institute of Microbiology, CAS as well as National Institute for Viral Disease Control and prevention, China CDC, and regular symposia on study progress are held. Additionally, in 2021, the project of Standardized Study on Testing Methods of Marburg and Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever Viruses that was applied jointly by Wuhan Institute of Virology and Jean Mérieux-Inserm has been approved by CAS and obtained initiation support.