Advanced laboratory facility: Prepare for emergence of new infectious diseases

Editorial

15:09 JST, February 5, 2025

As the global outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has shown, making preparations for infectious diseases is fundamental to national crisis management. Precautions must be taken to be able to deal with any kind of pathogen.

The government has designated an experimental facility newly built by Nagasaki University as a biosafety level-4 (BSL-4) facility, which means it is able to handle pathogens such as the highly lethal Ebola virus.

There is a BSL-4 facility at the Murayama branch of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID) in Musashi-Murayama, Tokyo. But, based on requests from nearby residents, its relocation outside the city is being considered. It is hoped that a candidate site will be decided as soon as possible and a two-facility system will be maintained.

While the NIID’s facility is limited to such tasks as testing and diagnosis of patients, the new facility at Nagasaki University will reportedly be able to conduct a wide range of research, including the development of vaccines and treatment methods. This will greatly improve the nation’s ability to respond to infectious diseases.

Nagasaki University is also facing opposition from nearby residents. It is natural that they are concerned about the possibility of pathogens leaking out of the facility. However, measures are taken to prevent infection, such as laboratories being sealed off from the outside air and researchers wearing special protective clothing.

Precisely because the pathogens are dangerous, there is no way to establish countermeasures unless they are controlled and studied. If a pathogen is brought into Japan from overseas and a patient is suspected of being infected, it is impossible to even quickly identify it without facilities that deal with pathogens in Japan.

There are reportedly about 60 BSL-4 facilities in more than 20 countries worldwide. Since there is no time to ask other countries to analyze pathogens in an emergency, developed countries maintain their own facilities. In many cases, these facilities are incorporated into universities and research institutes in urban areas.

The government needs to thoroughly explain the role of the BSL-4 facilities and their safety measures to deepen the public’s understanding.

Concerns about the emergence of new infectious diseases are increasing year after year as global warming and environmental destruction continue. Amid the growing international flow of people and goods, it would not be surprising if another unknown infectious disease were to spread around the world at any time.

It took more than 15 years from the beginning of discussions on the plan to build the Nagasaki University facility to it being finally designated as a BSL-4 facility. Moreover, Japan lagged far behind Europe and the United States in the development and production of COVID-19 vaccines. Wasn’t Japan’s sense of crisis regarding infectious diseases lacking?

It is important for Nagasaki University to operate the facility safely and win the trust of the local community. It is also hoped that the facility will become a hub for nurturing personnel involved in the operation of the BSL-4 facility and virus research.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Feb. 5, 2025)