1.
www.mpi.govt.nz • 1www.mpi.govt.nz
The New Zealand National Biocontainment Laboratory
Project – Innovative Approaches to Meet Testing
Requirements in the Event of an FMD Outbreak
Richard P. Spence and Joseph O’Keefe
Animal Health Laboratory, Investigation and Diagnostic Centres and Response,
Ministry for Primary Industries, Upper Hutt, New Zealand

2.
www.mpi.govt.nz • 2
The Animal Health Laboratory
• New Zealand’s national
veterinary laboratory.
• Diagnose, research and help
control animal diseases –
focus on exotic diseases.
• First Animal Health
Laboratory in southern
hemisphere.
MPI Animal Health
Laboratory,
Upper Hutt

3.
www.mpi.govt.nz • 3
Current Enhanced PC3 Laboratory
• Commissioned in 1998
• Design life 15-20 years
• Increasing maintenance
• Is poorly designed for
our work (e.g. DNA)
• Lacks flexibility.
AHL has the only enhanced PC3 containment
laboratory in New Zealand.

4.
www.mpi.govt.nz • 4
The National Biocontainment Laboratory
Project (NBLP) - Investment Objectives
• Improve the ability to identify and manage
organisms that present a high risk to NZ.
• Help maintain NZ’s international health and
trade ‘standing’.
• Provide services that can meet surge
requirements.
• Provide a safer and more secure working
environment.
• Make biocontainment services more efficient and
maintainable.

5.
www.mpi.govt.nz • 5
Project Timeline

6.
www.mpi.govt.nz • 6
Broad Impact of Strategic Factors
Only NZ Laboratory at
this Level of
Containment
Resilience
Operational
Capability
Capacity
Shared Use
(Health Lab)
No Established
Biocontainment
Industry
Detailed Requirements
All biosecurity
emergency samples
must come to one
laboratory
Must make
maximum use of
the available space
Range of science
disciplines
Ability to inactivate
suspected risk
group 4 samples
Level of
containment varies
Duplication of
systems
Fewer single points
of failure
Separate labs used
by others in
containment zone
Close collaboration
during emergencies
Shared operating
procedures
Avoid complex
construction
systems
Keep simple for
maintenance
Size to meet whole
of country
requirements
Collaborative
approach with
regulator
Importation of
components

7.
www.mpi.govt.nz • 7
How Big Should the Lab Be?
• Used FMD as a model of ‘maximum demand’.
• Reviewed experience from UK 2001 and 2007.
• Modelled potential outbreaks in NZ:
– 2 different FMD viruses
– 5 different locations
– 4 different delays till detection
– Applied existing sampling protocols
• Developed estimate of sample numbers related
to number of infected properties.

8.
www.mpi.govt.nz • 8
Modelled Median Samples per Week: FMD

9.
www.mpi.govt.nz • 9
Maximum Capacity of Design – FMD Testing
Maximum
capacity
Per Day Per Week
Samples received 7360 51,520
ELISA (Antigen) 200 1400
ELISA (Antibody) 7894 55,258
PCR (real time) 5,500 38,500
Total tests 13,600 95,200
Eradication phase. All testing operations within enhanced PC3 containment
Assumes 24/7 operations and a 48 hr sample turnaround requirement

10.
www.mpi.govt.nz • 10
Key FMD Related Design Responses
• High level of seismic protection.
• Enhanced PC3.
• Enhanced air filtration for both floors.
• Lower floor able to operate as an FMD
contingency laboratory.
• Reconfigurable rooms for greater capacity.
• Redundancy in systems e.g. EDS.
• Systems scaled for higher (surge) capacity e.g.
EDS, heat load, generator size, showers etc.

11.
www.mpi.govt.nz • 11

12.
www.mpi.govt.nz • 12
Longitudinal Section
Mechanical
PC3+
PC2+
Base isolation

13.
www.mpi.govt.nz • 13
Seismic hazard
AHL

14.
www.mpi.govt.nz • 14
Seismic design aspects
Protect from
earthquake damage
Brace all large
items
Maintain
containment
after an event
Meet
Importance
Level 4 (IL-4)
Requirements
Full
inspectability
after an event
Able to operate
if utilities
interrupted
Design Responses
Rigid structure on
base isolation
Flexible wall to slab
connections
Universal bracing
systems in labs
No interstitial
spaces
Back up generator,
water tanks on roof
Detailed Requirements
Base isolated
foundations
Avoid cracking of
walls
Bracing systems
allow users to move
equipment easily
No sealed spaces
with services
Water and
electricity back up
systems
Fully inspectable
services

15.
www.mpi.govt.nz • 15
Rigid but
movable
structure
Hold down
piles
Integrated
seismic
bracing
Seismic Resilience
Flexible
service
connections
Base
isolation

16.
www.mpi.govt.nz • 16
Seismic resilience
Base
isolator
Hold down
pile
Rattle
space

17.
www.mpi.govt.nz • 17July 2015

18.
www.mpi.govt.nz • 18
December 2015

19.
www.mpi.govt.nz • 19
April 2016

20.
www.mpi.govt.nz • 20
Up to date aerial photo here
July 2016

21.
www.mpi.govt.nz • 21
Acknowledgements
• Laboratory users
• Project team
– Mike Hannaway, PM
– Nathan Woods, Engineer
– Sophie Ivory, Co-ordinator
• Dr Veronica Herrera (MPI),
• Andrew Coleman (MPI)
• Clare Hammond (NZ
Treasury)
• Bruce McLean (The
Project Co.)
• Prof R Morris & Prof J
Wilesmith
• Leanne Spice (Tregaskis
Brown)
• Justine Fitzmaurice
• Rachel Brunel
• Design team

22.
www.mpi.govt.nz • 22
Thank-you