On Tuesday 17 December, we were delighted to welcome Dr Miguel Chillón Rodriguez to the University of Barcelona. Dr Chillón is Head of the Gene Therapy Laboratory for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Director of the Viral Vector Production Unit based at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, and a highly esteemed researcher in various fields of Genetics and Molecular Biology.
Dr. Chillón gave a seminar on Biological Agents and Genetically Modified Organisms as Vectors of Gene Therapy , aimed at the technical and academic staff of the Biosafety Committee, technical and medical staff of the OSSMA.
Staff from the UB’s Animal Experimentation Units were also invited to the seminar, bearing in mind that the Biosafety Committee’s planning envisages applying to the Ministry for the Ecological Transition, during 2020, for its authorisation as facilities for the contained use of genetically modified organisms.
For three hours Dr. Chillón spoke about different aspects of Biosafety related to viral vectors, and resolved the doubts that attendees raised.
The training and information received will be of great help, among other aspects, for classifying the level of risk and the necessary levels of biological containment for the development of many research projects carried out at the University, and for determining other biosafety requirements that researchers must consider before starting their activities.