This article describes a unique cryo-electron microscopy (CryoEM) facility to study the
three-dimensional organization of viruses at biological safety level 3 (BSL-3). This
facility, the W. M. Keck Center for Virus Imaging, has successfully operated for more than
a year without incident and was cleared for select agent studies by the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Standard operating procedures for the laboratory
were developed and implemented to ensure its safe and efficient operation. This facility
at the University of Texas Medical Branch (Galveston, TX) is the only such BSL-3 CryoEM
facility approved for select agent research.
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