Institutional Biosafety Committee

Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC)

The purpose of the Kent State University (KSU) Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) is to provide structured programming for teaching and/or research activities that involve recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid molecules and biohazardous materials, agents, and toxins, conducted under the auspices of KSU or are sponsored by KSU. Institutions that receive support from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for recombinant or synthetic nucleic research are required to establish and register an IBC with the NIH Office of Biotechnology Activities (OBA) in compliance with the NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant DNA Molecules (NIH Guidelines).

The IBC is responsible for the oversight, administration, and review of KSU laboratory policies, practices, and projects involving teaching and research with recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid molecules and other potentially hazardous materials that may pose health, safety, or environmental risks. The IBC assists and advises the KSU Environmental Health and Safety Office, principal investigators (PIs), Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, Institutional Review Boards, and other researchers to ensure that the aspects of teaching and/or research that fall within the purview of the IBC are conducted using established biosafety standards, principles, and work authorizations. Such advice includes worker safety, public health, prevention of human exposure to biological hazards, and environmental protection, ethics, and compliance with applicable biosafety standards and KSU Policies. The IBC is hereby-delegated authority to oversee teaching and/or research and approve laboratory protocols involving, but not limited to:

Human cells, tissues, organs, blood, and bodily fluids.
Any use of recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid encoding products dangerous to humans.
Biological agents (animal, plant, bacterial, viral, prion, and/or their products) designated as risk group 1 in which genetic alteration with external genomic or synthetic nucleic acids extend or enhance their normal biological function.
Biological agents (animal, plant, bacterial, viral, prion, and/or their products) designated as risk group 2.
Transfected and/or transformed cell lines that pose human risk.

The IBC will investigate any concern, including those related to accidents, injuries or illness that may have resulted from the use of recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid molecules and biohazardous materials, agents, and toxins. If any valid concern or deviation from the NIH Guidelines or established policy, procedure, sound practice or protocol is found, the findings will be reported to the Principal Investigator, VPR, and relevant supporting units. Issues will be reported to the NIH according to NIH Policy.

Institutional Committee Meeting Dates

Location: Virtual

Time: 2pm

All protocols must be received by the 1st Tuesday of the month to be reviewed at the monthly meeting.

All meetings are subjected to change or cancellation. Contact the Environmental Health and Safety Office at 330-672-4347 or email compliance@kent.edu for questions or comments.

January 28, 2025
February 25, 2025
March 25, 2025
April 22, 2025
May 27, 2025
June 24, 2025
July 22, 2025
August 26, 2025
September 23, 2025
October 28, 2025
November 25, 2025
December 23, 2025

Minutes

INSTITUTIONAL BIOSAFETY COMMITTEE
Meeting Minutes – June 24, 2025
Teams Meeting
2:00 p.m.
Members Present: Adam Jajtner, Sarah Eichler, Kevin McCreary (joined the meeting between 2:28 p.m. and 2:40 p.m.), Aleisha Moore, Ekaterina Semenyuk (Biosafety Officer), Richard Piet, Stanley Dannemiller, Carolyn Apperson (Local Unaffiliated), Colleen Karlo (Local Unaffiliated).
Members Not Present: Donald Gerbig, Christopher Woolverton.
CALL TO ORDER:
The meeting was called to order at 2:11 p.m.
Conflict of Interest: Dr. Piet left the meeting during discussion of his protocol #985.
MEETING MINUTES APPROVAL:
The May 2025 meeting’s minutes were approved as presented.
Motion: Approve.
For:4
Against:0
Abstain:4
COMMITTEE BUSINESS:
IBC #985 Investigating the circadian regulation of the brain circuits that control ovulation in the mouse (renewal)
PI Dr. Piet
Applicable NIH Guidelines: Section III-D
Primary Reviewer Adam Jajtner
Overview
The purpose of the research is to functionally and anatomically map specific inputs to populations of neurons in the hypothalamus that control fertility by using adeno-associated viral (AAVs) vectors, which carry a transgene encoding for a light-sensitive cation channel enabling activation of specific neuronal populations with light, or a transgene encoding for a fusion protein that enables us to visualize synapses.
Discussion The committee discussed decontamination of the Hamilton syringes used for the stereotactic injections of AAV conducted under IBC protocols #985 and #1963.
Contingencies
Institutional Biosafety Committee Meeting Minutes – 8/27/24
The Committee requested revisions to the decontamination procedure for the Hamilton syringe in this protocol and in protocol #1963. Since ethanol alone is not effective for AAV decontamination, the syringe and needle should first be flushed with 10% bleach, followed by 70% ethanol and then water.
Motion: Grant approval to use RG1 agent at BSL1 pending amendment of the syringe decontamination procedure by the laboratory.
For:8
Against:0
Abstain:0
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
The Committee discussed updates to current IBC policies, including:
-The need for umbrella protocols to cover laboratories conducting multiple research projects.
-A decision tree to help Principal Investigators determine whether a project requires IBC review.
-A new continuing review process that will differ from the current renewal procedure.
-A revised document package, which will be presented for IBC review and approval at the next meeting.
ADJOURNMENT:
The meeting was adjourned at 2:58 p.m.

INSTITUTIONAL BIOSAFETY COMMITTEE
Meeting Minutes – July 22, 2025
Teams Meeting
2:00 p.m.
Members Present: Adam Jajtner (Chair), Sarah Eichler, Kevin McCreary, Aleisha Moore, Ekaterina Semenyuk (Biosafety Officer), Richard Piet, Stanley Dannemiller, Rocco Petrozzi, Carolyn Apperson (Local Unaffiliated), Colleen Karlo (Local Unaffiliated).
Members Not Present: Donald Gerbig, Christopher Woolverton, John Johnson.
Guests: Heidi Page (alternate - ex officio, non-voting Biosafety Officer); Sean Giblin (KSU EHS representative); Tim Styranec (EHS Director).
CALL TO ORDER:
The meeting was called to order at 2:02 p.m.
Conflict of Interest: No conflict of interest was declared.
MEETING MINUTES APPROVAL:
The June 2025 meeting’s minutes were approved pending correction of the typos.
Motion: Approve.
For:9
Against:0
Abstain:1
COMMITTEE BUSINESS:
IBC #1490 Targeting Promoter G-quadruplexes with CRISPR-dCas9 for Transcription Regulation and Telomere Protection (amendment).
PI Dr.Balci
Applicable NIH Guidelines: Section III-E
Primary Reviewer Adam Jajtner
Overview
The purpose of this amendment is to introduce a new recombinant vector for the transduction of mammalian cells, enabling expression, harvesting, and purification of the TERT protein. The vector is a third-generation lentiviral vector; however, the process and cell line to be used will exclude the possibility of generating viral particles.
Discussion

The committee reviewed how the current laboratory safety controls align with a new project. The laboratory previously received BSL2 approval, but previous research conducted there fell into the exempt category.
Motion: Table protocol pending laboratory inspection.
For:10
Against:0
Abstain:0
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
-Heidi Page presented refresher training on NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant and Synthetic Nucleic Acid Molecules.
-BSO presented the updated KSU IBC Charter and Decision Tree to assist Principal Investigators in determining whether a project needs IBC review. The Committee discussed revisions to IBC operations and protocol review policy.
ADJOURNMENT:
The meeting was adjourned at 3:11 p.m.

INSTITUTIONAL BIOSAFETY COMMITTEE
Meeting Minutes – August 26, 2025
Teams Meeting
2:00 p.m.
Members Present: Adam Jajtner (Chair), Kevin McCreary, John Johnson, Ekaterina Semenyuk (Biosafety Officer), Richard Piet, Stanley Dannemiller, Rocco Petrozzi, Carolyn Apperson (Local Unaffiliated), Colleen Karlo (Local Unaffiliated).
Members Not Present: Donald Gerbig, Christopher Woolverton, Sarah Eichler, Aleisha Moore.
Guests: Heidi Page (alternate - ex officio, non-voting Biosafety Officer); Sean Giblin (KSU EHS representative); Michelle Kane-Sutton (Lab Manager); Tim Styranec (EHS Director), Sarah Pfeiffer.
CALL TO ORDER:
The meeting was called to order at 2:05 p.m.
Conflict of Interest: No conflict of interest was declared.
MEETING MINUTES APPROVAL:
The July 2025 meeting’s minutes were approved pending correction of the typos.
Motion: Approve.
For:8
Against:0
Abstain:1
COMMITTEE BUSINESS:
IBC #1490 Targeting Promoter G-quadruplexes with CRISPR-dCas9 for Transcription Regulation and Telomere Protection (amendment, previously tabled).
PI Dr. Balci
Applicable NIH Guidelines: Section III-E
Primary Reviewer Adam Jajtner
Overview
The purpose of this amendment is to introduce a new recombinant vector for the transduction of mammalian cells, enabling expression, harvesting, and purification of the TERT protein. The vector is a third-generation lentiviral vector; however, the process and cell line to be used will exclude the possibility of generating viral particles.
Discussion The Committee discussed results of the biosafety inspection of the Dr. Balci’s lab.
Institutional Biosafety Committee Meeting Minutes – 8/27/24
Motion: Grant approval with contingencies to use RG2 agents at BSL2.
Contingencies: Address two remaining reviewer's comments regarding exposure to biological materials and presence of the biohazardous materials in the laboratory.
For:9
Against:0
Abstain:0
IBC: #2091 Defining cell populations that control fertility via retrograde monosynaptic tract tracing (renewal)
PI Dr. Moore
Applicable NIH Guidelines: Section III-D.
Primary Reviewer John Johnson
Overview The study uses monosynaptic retrograde tracing techniques to identify the synaptic inputs upstream of hypothalamic kisspeptin neurons, which regulate fertility to examine how these inputs might change in a mouse model of polycystic ovary syndrome.
Discussion The Committee reviewed containment measures for using recombinant viral vectors in this study including the need for a Biosafety Cabinet during injections.
Motion Grant approval to use RG2 agent at BSL2.
For:9
Against:0
Abstain:0
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
- The BSO presented results of the biosafety inspections of three laboratories requested earlier by the IBC. No concerns about the work being done in these research spaces were reported.
- The BSO informed the Committee about three administratively approved protocols: 1) #2087 Influence of plasma volume on blood flow turbulence (PI Dr. McDaniel). The protocol involves the collection of urine samples from healthy donors. Approved at BSL1.
2) # 2035 The Effects of Cold Water Immersion Timing on Athletic Performance and Recovery in Females (PI Dr. Jajtner) The protocol involves the collection of blood samples from healthy donors. Approved at BSL2.
3) #1549 Investigating GABAergic regulation of KNDy neurons in a mouse model of PCOS (amendment) (PI Dr. Moore). Amendment includes changes in personnel, addition of new vectors and does not significantly alter the scope, biosafety level, or risk assessment of the original protocol. Approved at BSL1.
-The Committee discussed revisions to IBC operations and protocol review policy.
ADJOURNMENT:
The meeting was adjourned at 3:11 p.m.


Adam Jajtner PhD	Chair
Chris Woolverton PhD	Vice Chair
Ekaterina Semenyuk	Biosafety Officer
Heidi Page	Alternate BSO
Stanley Dannemiller DVM	Animal Expert
Sarah Eichler PhD	Plant Expert
Donald Gerbig PhD	Biological Science Expert
John Johnson PhD	Biological Science Expert
Kevin McCreary	Director Research Sponsored Programs
Aleisha Moore PhD	Biological Sciences Expert
Rocco Petrozzi DPM	Physician
Richard Piet PhD	Biological Science Expert

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