Select Agent Program

Select agents are specific biological agents and toxins that have the potential to severely threaten public health and safety or national agricultural interests. The Federal Select Agent Regulations set forth requirements for possession, use, and transfer of viral, bacterial, or fungal select agents and toxins.

To ensure compliance with these laws, our biological safety team oversees research related to biological select agents and toxins. The University of Chicago Select Agent Program is currently managed at the Howard Taylor Ricketts Laboratory, a state-of-the-art biocontainment facility on the campus of Argonne National Laboratory.

Does your research involve select agents?

For more information or to inquire about initiating research involving a federally regulated select agent, please contact our biological safety team.

You can also learn more about the Federal Select Agent Program, including the history of select agent regulations, on the program's website.

UChicagoSocial: Office of Research Safety