Jul. 5--Cambridge officials are taking steps to prohibit the most dangerous biolabs from setting up shop in the city, hoping to avoid the kinds of protests that have rocked Boston University Medical Center.

It's an unusual step for world-renowned life sciences hub, which is home to 155 biotechnology companies that employ 10,000 workers.

But city officials say the plan has the blessing of residents, community leaders and biotech firms alike.

"We are going to be the first community to set down the rules of the road on biosafety," said Sam Lipson, director of environmental health for the Cambridge Public Health Department.

So far, he added, "we've received no objections from the biotechnology organizations, probably because we've been working so closely with them."

Sarah MacDonald, a spokeswoman from the Cambridge-based Massachusetts Biotechnology Council, confirmed that the industry trade group has been informed about the city's effort since it was first proposed last fall.

According to Lipson, the push for a more comprehensive set of rules to govern biotech companies came after Cambridge residents watched their neighbors in Boston grapple with Boston University's controversial plan to place a high-level biolab in a dense urban neighborhood.

As academics and activists sparred in Boston, a handful of Cambridge residents and officials decided they didn't want to go through a similar dispute in university-rich Cambridge.

So last fall, the Cambridge City Council asked the city manager to address the concerns by closing a loophole in an existing public safety regulation that has been in effect since 1977.

Back then, when the field of genetic research was first emerging, the city passed a recombinant DNA, or rDNA, ordinance. It established a strict set of guidelines for safety, human protection, proper training, documentation and accountability in local laboratories.

The ordinance, which also required a citizen-based committee to oversee the approval process, helped make Cambridge a leader in establishing the right of local communities to regulate biotechnology, Lipson said.

But now, 30 years later, biological research has become a booming, cutting-edge industry.

To help quantify levels of risk, the National Institutes of Health uses an ascending scale.

Level 1 biosafety labs, or BSL-1s, study agents that are not known to consistently cause disease in healthy adults.

Level 4 labs, or BSL-4s, on the other hand, pose a high risk of life-threatening disease for which no vaccine or therapy is available.

There are many more Level 1 labs than Level 4 labs.

Still, with the current proposal, Cambridge aims to regulate Level 3 biolabs and prohibit the Level 4 labs within the city's boundaries.

The Public Health Department held a public hearing on the proposal in June and is seeking public input until July 31.

If the recommended changes are approved by the department's executive board, they will become part of the city's regulations.

cmcconville@bostonherald.com

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