Institutional Biosafety Committee Minutes

Oklahoma State University - Center for Health Sciences Institutional Biosafety Committee Hybrid Meeting minutes from Thursday October 15, 2026 at 10:00 AM

IBC Members Present

• Dr. Crystal (Niki) Johnson: Committee Chair - Present
• Dr. I-Hsiu (George) Huang:  Scientific Member - Present
• Dr. Sue Katz Amburn:  Scientific Member - Present
• Dr. Gerwald Koehler: Scientific Member - Present
• William (BJ) Reddig: Lab representative - Present
• Dr. David Wallace: Animal Expert - Present
• Dr. Fang (Fiona) Liu: Non-affiliated member - Absent
• Jennifer Nangle: Non-affiliated Member - Absent
• Dr. Vikram Gujar: Alternate Member - Affiliated Scientist - Absent

Quorum: Quorum was met. Six (6) voting members were present when the meeting was called to order and four (4) are required to conduct business.

Others in Attendance

• Swarup Mitra: Oklahoma State University - Center for Health Sciences - Assistant Professor of Pharmacology
• Rebecca Crandell: Oklahoma State University - Center for Health Sciences - Assistant Director Research Compliance
• Kolt Wood: Oklahoma State University - Center for Health Sciences - Research Compliance Coordinator

Minutes

1. Call to Order
   • The IBC Chair called this meeting to order at 10:00am.
     1. Conflicts of Interest
        • The IBC Chair asked all members present to identify any conflicts of interest with the materials that are to be reviewed.
        • Two were identified: Dr. Johnson and Mr. Reddig for protocol #1265
     2. Discussion of previous minutes
        • No discussion was held regarding the September 24th, 2026 IBC meeting minutes. Dr. Wallace motioned to approve them as written, and Mr. Reddig seconded. All members present were in favor of the motion.
     3. Review and Approval of previous meeting minutes
        • Date of previous meeting: Thursday, September 24 2026
        • Motion: Approve as Written
        • Votes:
          • For - 6
          • Against - 0
          • Abstain - 0
2. Review of Prior Business
   • Business:
     • Report of pending/outstanding protocol(s) Unaffiliated member recruitment
     • Update from IACUC October meeting regarding IBC review/coverage of transgenic animals
   • Review and Discussion:
     • The committee will continue to search for an unaffiliated member to replace Ms. Nangle. She will remain on committee until replacement found. Recruitment efforts will continue.
     • Rebecca Crandell gave an update from the October OSU-CHS IACUC meeting: The IACUC expressed interest in being involved with updating the guidance document and screening processes for transgenic animal oversight, and a need for cross-committee collaboration. A representative from the IACUC offered to be present at today's meeting to provide feedback.
3. New IBC Registrations and Amendments for Review
   1. Review of IBC-00001265
      • PI Name(s): Dr. Crystal (Niki) Johnson
      • Registration Title/Number
        • Microbiome responses to anaerobic biotherapeutics in Gut-Brain-Axis models
        • IBC-00001265
      • Project Overview:
        • This protocol evaluates how selected naturally occurring, gut-associated anaerobic bacteria and archaea influence the intestinal microbiome and host physiology in preclinical mouse models. The microorganisms are being investigated as candidate microbiome-directed biotherapeutics because of their roles in microbial community interactions, metabolism, and host–microbiome signaling. Studies may include viable organisms, nonviable microbial preparations, and appropriate control treatments to examine microbiome and physiological responses following administration. Molecular, sequencing, and biochemical approaches will be used to characterize changes in microbial community structure and metabolic activity. The work is intended to improve understanding of how gut microorganisms and their interactions influence host health, including processes associated with the gut–brain axis. All activities are conducted under applicable institutional biosafety and animal use approvals using appropriate containment and safety practices.
      • NIH Guidelines Section
        • N/A
      • Risk Assessement and Discussion
        • Discussion: The committee reviewed the proposed use of introducing certain anaerobic species into the microbiota of rodents and how that affects host behavior and physiology. The committee raised concerns as this was marked for Biosafety level 1 (BLS1) and inquired if it should conducted under BSL2 containment and practices due to the nature of introducing foreign material to the microbiota of the rodents. The PI answered that the anaerobic bacteria they are working with are BSL1 and that, while the anaerobes are isolated from human fecal solutions which are BSL2,the rodents are being administered isolates of these bacteria. Due to the nature of of transferring foreign species into the microbiota the committee determined that this should be operated under BSL2 containment and practices.
        • An IBC member asked about the density of mice housed per cage. The PI informed the committee that this type of information is outlined in the IACUC protocol that will be attached to this protocol. The committee also identified several administrative and procedural revisions needed before approval. Discussion addressed funding information, biosafety containment classifications, animal-use activities, and protocol completeness. Following questions from the committee, Dr. Johnson and Mr. Reddig recused themselves from the room during the deliberation process. No additional concerns were raised during deliberation. The committee requested the following revisions to secure approval:
        • Revise the protocol to reflect BSL-2 containment and practices, to align with risk for mixed microbiota of uncertain composition. Ensure biosafety containment classifications are consistent throughout the application. Update agency funding information.
        • Revise animal-use responses to accurately reflect activities conducted under the protocol. Include applicable non-transgenic animal models where appropriate. Address identified administrative corrections, omissions, and formatting inconsistencies.
      • Training
        • All personnel listed on this application have completed the minimum required lab safety training courses, including Lab Chemical safety, Bloodborne Pathogens training, and Laboratory Biosafety training. Additionally, all personnel have documented in-lab training for specific procedures that are carried out in each individual lab.
      • Additional Training
        • No additional training was outlined for this application.
      • Occupational Health Respresentative Review (if applicable)
        • No additional occupational health concerns were outlined for this protocol.
      • Biosafety Level Assignment
        • Biosafety Level: 2
        • Additional Discussion or notes:  No additional discussion was held regarding the biosafety level.
      • IBC Vote
        • Motion: Require Modifications to Secure Approval.
          • 1st: Dr. Amburn
          • 2nd: Dr. Wallace
        • Votes:
          • For - 4
          • Against - 0
          • Abstain - 0
          • Recused - 2
        • Notes:
          • Dr. Johnson and Mr. Reddig disclosed conflicts of interest and were recused from the committee’s deliberation and vote on this protocol.
4. New Business
   • Topic: Review of the working model for the IBC oversight document.
     • Discussion: (Dr. Mitra was present at the meeting as a representative from the IACUC to listen and provide feedback on the working document outlining IBC oversight of transgenic animals.) The committee reviewed the basics of the document and then went through the following changes in the document: First was removing the language concerning BSL3 and BSL4 as this institution does not have a space to perform BSL3+ research. Second was a question about creating a checklist to help PIs determine which OSU-CHS regulatory committees they need to submit their protocols to. A suggestion was made that a smaller, more concise checklist be added into Cayuse to help prompt the PIs to review and submit the protocol to the proper committees, and Ms. Crandell explained that Cayuse does not have that ability. Concluding discussion, the committee determined that this document is closed for modifications from the IBC, and will be sent out to OSU-CHS's CHRUC and IACUC to review and submit their feedback by the end of November.
5. Review of Incidents
   • No incidents were discussed at this meeting.
6. Inspections/Ongoing Oversight
   • Kolt Wood gave an update of ongoing Lab Safety inspections. Minor findings have been identified during inspections, and investigators have been addressing corrective actions in a timely manner.
7. IBC Training - Summary of USG Policy For Stopping High Risk Life Sciences Research
   • The committee discussed the upcoming Federal policy for stopping high risk life sciences research concerning changes to Gain of Function (GOF) and Dangerous Gain of Function (DGOF) research . The new policy requires the establishment of a new committee, Institutional Review Entity (IRE), to ensure institutional compliance with new Federal laws surrounding GOF annd DGOF research. In addition to the IRE, the institution must also appoint a 'point of contact' between the IRE and the federal agencies. Discussion by members: The policy is a stoppage policy stopping all dangerous gain of function research, and stops all working with institutions deemed entities of concern. The document also puts responsibility on the PIs. The committee expressed importance that this document should be shared with all PIs as soon as possible. The committee suggested that a decision tree screening document be created to help PIs establish whether they are compliant with federal policy concerning DGOF or not. The committee expressed concern that for OSU-CHS, the institution needs to use caution surrounding a PI introducing an anti-microbial marker into an organism with the anti-microbial resistance being relevant for treatment for that specific organism. The committee discussed that this is a realistic possibility, but noted that no one is currently engaged in that type of research here. A researcher could accidentally create a gain of function organism by creating a knock-out library. The committee raised the question if OSU-CHS is supposed to have their own oversight committee that is different from OSU-Stillwater. The Chair will create a working draft of a decision tree document a mentioned above. A member suggested that this be available on the office of research website. The committee then discussed the condensed timeline and re-asserted a need for urgency as the IRE needs to be formed by January 16th, 2027, and discussed criteria and suggestions for membership. Ms. Crandell has contacted Office of Research leadership for IBC guidance.
8. Public Comments
   • No public comments were recorded at this meeting.
9. Adjournment
   • The IBC Chair moved to adjourn the meeting at 11:02am.
   • The next IBC meeting is scheduled for Thursday, November 19 2026.