A new Australian Biosecurity Microscopy Centre (ABMC) will be built at CSIRO’s Australian Animal Health Laboratory in Geelong to provide live cell imaging and transmission electron microscopy to respond to emergency animal diseases.

The ABMC will be a linked laboratory to the Australian Microscopy and Microanalysis Research Facility (AMMRF), a national grid of microscopy services for Australian researchers.

Funding for the new centre has come from the federal National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) programme and the CSIRO.

NCRIS is investing $8.5 million to develop the secure microbiological laboratories at AAHL, providing additional physical containment level three (PC3) and PC4 laboratory space and technology platforms for biosecurity researchers nationwide.

The additional PC4 facilities – including the new microscopy centre – are scheduled to be available for use next year.