• The National Laboratory of Vaccinology operates at Biosafety Level 3 (BSL-3), providing high-containment infrastructure for cutting-edge scientific research, highlights IPN’s Director General.
• Advancing in this field positions the institution to compete internationally and address pressing public health challenges.
The Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), through its National Laboratory of Vaccinology and Tropical Viruses (LNVyVT) at the Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas (ENCB), aims to conduct world-class research and become a national reference in vaccine and tropical virus studies, while responding to public health challenges such as dengue, stated IPN Director General Arturo Reyes Sandoval.
He emphasized that this facility—one of the few of its kind in Mexico—houses both BSL-2 and BSL-3 laboratories, enabling the institution to drive cutting-edge scientific development and compete on a global scale.
Key activities carried out in these laboratories include preclinical trials to test the efficacy of vaccines and antiviral agents, as well as studies monitoring immune responses to vaccines and other biopharmaceuticals.
Reyes Sandoval highlighted that having such facilities demonstrates IPN’s tangible commitment to society. Through the National Laboratory of Vaccinology, the institution advances confidently in frontier research, with a direct impact on public health and well-being.
Given the highly specialized nature of these areas, the laboratories are designed to safely handle certain pathogens that cannot be studied in conventional labs.
The facilities strictly comply with international standards and biosafety protocols, ensuring full protection for researchers. As with any BSL-3 laboratory, access to the biocontainment zones of the National Laboratory of Vaccinology is governed by rigorous protocols due to the infectious agents handled.
The Director General noted that these operations align with and reinforce the policies established by the Secretary of Public Education, Mario Delgado Carrillo.
The laboratory was constructed by the guidelines outlined in the Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (BMBL), 6th Edition, as well as the standards set by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Design, supervision, and operational procedures were strictly implemented, and a dedicated commission ensures ongoing functionality and compliance.
Reyes Sandoval also underscored the importance of training specialists in this field. IPN offers both a Master’s and a Doctorate in Vaccine and Biotherapeutics Science and Technology, providing graduates with the opportunity to contribute to solutions for nationally and internationally relevant infectious diseases.
These graduate programs are closely integrated with the laboratory’s research initiatives. Projects that comply with the National Laboratory of Vaccinology’s protocols can advance vaccine developments with scalable potential, bridging academic training and applied research.
For more information, visit www.ipn.mx
INSTITUTO POLITÉCNICO NACIONAL
D.R. Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN). Av. Luis Enrique Erro S/N, Unidad Profesional Adolfo López Mateos, Zacatenco, Alcaldía Gustavo A. Madero, C.P. 07738, Ciudad de México. Conmutador: 55 57 29 60 00 / 55 57 29 63 00.
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