Kansas pushes to woo federal biodefense lab

Kansas officials bolstered the case for bringing a federal biodefense lab complex to Manhattan with the approval Tuesday of $1.5 million for a new training initiative.

The Kansas Bioscience Authorityagreed to contribute the money toward a biosafety training program at the Biosecurity Research Institute at Kansas State University.

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius; U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts, a Kansas Republican; and other top state officials Tuesday described this program and other strengths during a series of Washington, D.C., meetings with officials overseeing the proposed National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility.

Kansas, Mississippi, North Carolina, Georgia and Texas are vying for the $450 million project that will specialize in detecting and countering diseases that can be passed from animals to humans or possibly hobble the nation's food supply. A site-selection announcement is expected later this year.

"This is the top bioscience priority for Kansas," Sebelius said in an interview Tuesday.

Kansas offers substantial opportunities for the federal scientists to collaborate with companies and leading researchers in the region's universities, Sebelius said.

The Kansas City Animal Health Corridor initiative previously identified more than 100 companies in the region responsible for nearly one-third of the annual $15.2 billion in sales of food, medicine and other animal health products.

K-State has made food security and related research a central focus in recent years. The recently opened $54 million biosecurity institute has sophisticated laboratories and experts working with infectious diseases and pathogens that could devastate food crops.

The facility also has specialized research suites with high-tech safety mechanisms that allow scientists to work with large animals and isolate microorganisms or materials that potentially could cause harm if they were released accidentally.

Construction of the federal lab is to begin during the 2010 budget year and is not expected to open until the 2013 budget year.

State leaders have told federal officials they could begin research immediately in the institute during construction of the biodefense facility if Kansas is picked for the project.

"Nobody has that kind of facility ready to go," Sebelius said.

Meeting Tuesday in Washington, D.C., the Bioscience Authority agreed to provide $1.5 million for the biosecurity training program in Manhattan. The institute is planning to produce training videos and provide other instruction each year to hundreds of professionals working in a growing number of high-containment labs around the country.

The institute includes a lecture hall and a mock lab where researchers being trained will be able to witness procedures they eventually will conduct in their own labs.

Community support is one of the key factors federal officials will examine when picking a location.

Activists in some of the other states have raised questions and campaigned against placing the federal lab in their communities.

With so many top state officials; the Kansas congressional delegation; and the bioscience authority board, including Dan Glickman, former U.S. agriculture secretary, gathering Tuesday in Washington, D.C., Kansas demonstrated extensive and unified support for the project, said Roberts, who is helping to shepherd his state's pursuit of the facility.

"It would be an unprecedented economic development opportunity," Roberts said. "It is a tremendous catalyst in regards to the research community."

Tom Thornton, president of the Bioscience Authority, said he expected the state to follow up with additional meetings in the coming months. Chief executives of some of the region's animal health companies might be included in a future Washington, D.C., visit.

"It's a great opportunity to show the very broad support that Kansas has, not just for this project, but the biosciences as well," Thornton said. "Kansas embraces this. We understand agriculture. We understand the mission."

State lawmakers show their support In addition to Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, Kansas lawmakers traveling to Washington, D.C., to tout the state as a site for a federal biodefense lab complex included House Speaker Melvin Neufeld, an Ingalls Republican; House Minority Leader Dennis McKinney, a Greensburg Democrat; Senate President Steve Morris, a Hugoton Republican; and Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley, a Topeka Democrat.

To reach Jason Gertzen, call 816-234-4899 or send e-mail to jgertzen@kcstar.com