The beautiful ACDP is located in Geelong right along the water. It’s found one hour south-west of Melbourne and serves as an unexpected bulwark against potential global pandemics. This extraordinary high-containment facility first opened its doors 40 years ago. It is the premier facility of its kind devoted specifically to researching the world’s deadliest viruses, like Ebola, Nipah, Hendra, and lyssavirus. Veterinary epidemiologist Debbie Eagles, the ACDP’s technical director, steers the project in a crucial and inspiring mission. The nonprofit organization works on the proactive management of animal diseases that threaten human health at regional and global levels.
Fully operational today, the ACDP has become one of the very few high-containment laboratories in Australia. It is the only facility in the nation capable of handling infected livestock at a biosafety level 4. Its design and operational protocols make certain that when an outbreak of an animal disease occurs, it can safely respond to and investigate the outbreak. Chief of the facility’s Pathogen Investigation Team, Jennifer Barr, provided a look. There, scientists perform rapid diagnostic tests and genetic analyses to respond to infectious disease threats of high consequence to human health.
A Closer Look at ACDP’s Infrastructure
The ACDP includes an artistically sculpted, one-of-a-kind structure developed in a five-story configuration. Four of these stacked floors support operations on the third floor, which will house the laboratory facilities. The double height top two floors are used for highly sophisticated engineering systems intended to pre-filter all air going in and out of the labs. These systems uphold the most exacting standards of containment, that are absolutely crucial to their work with the most hazardous pathogens.
“The designers went to international facilities, including NASA, to better get an understanding of quarantine and containment requirements,” Dr. Eagles shared. “We still have people visiting the facility today in order to understand how we manage our biocontainment.”
In terms of safety, the first five floors are incredibly important. They vacuum and pulse all of the liquid and solid waste created on the 3rd floor. This requires specific expertise around hazardous materials, which can be extremely dangerous if not handled with extreme caution. The facility’s 8-point layered containment strategy is one of the most interesting and best practices.
Now we have a box in a box in a box, Dr. Eagles explained. “This means we’ve got multiple layers of containment with increasing negative pressure as we move in within the facility.”
The Role of Scientists in Disease Control
At the ACDP, scientists such as Lynn Nazareth are cutting new edges on research. Specifically, they utilize innovative experimental approaches, like 3D cell culture models, to study how viral infections initiate and spread. This innovative research helps us better understand the threats that different pathogens may pose.
“The suits protect us from the dangerous viruses that we’re working with,” Mrs. Barr noted. “They’re part of our personal protective equipment that we wear every day.”
These protective measures serve as foundational pillars of safety without stifling the flexible and innovative research that leads to direct beneficial impacts on public health. The research facility partners with federal, state and local stakeholders to track more than $6 billion worth of animal disease.
“We get samples for everything from avian influenza through to African swine fever and foot and mouth disease.” She emphasized that the takeaways are overwhelmingly negative. There were some notable exceptions, particularly with positive examples made known for aites avian influenza over the last year.
Contributions to Vaccine Development and Surveillance
One of the ACDP’s most important acts on public health has been its centrality to vaccine development. “If we weren’t able to diagnose them, we wouldn’t be able to respond to them or control the virus,” Dr. Eagles stated, underscoring the importance of their work.
The facility proved critical in isolating and identifying the Hendra virus for the first time in 1994. This monumental breakthrough led to the development of the polio vaccine. Today, it saves horses and their owners from the threat of transmission.
Then, we helped advance that vaccine and had the capacity to test that particular vaccine,” Dr. Eagles said. It really protects horses, but more importantly, it protects their owners.
The ACDP takes a proactive approach to surveillance. They’re on the frontline, seeking out diseases that are on the verge of spilling over from wildlife into humans. “We’re contributing to the surveillance of diseases that are circulating in wildlife and other species,” Dr. Eagles added. “This helps us prepare for what that ‘Disease X’ might be.”
The facility’s capabilities extend beyond small pathogens. It can handle larger animals such as cattle and horses, making it a versatile player in disease preparedness.
