The BSL-4 laboratory at the Robert Koch Institute

In February 2015, the RKI’s new laboratory and office building at Seestrasse was inaugurated. In its centre, the building also contains laboratories of the highest biosafety level 4, in which pathogens of the highest risk group such as Ebola, Marburg and Lassa viruses can be safely examined. The laboratories have their own air, power and water supply; multi-tiered security systems prevent pathogens from being released. In summer 2018, the BSL-4 laboratory has become fully operational. The Robert Koch Institute is the only federal institute in the field of human medicine with a BSL-4 laboratory in Germany.

As a central institution for infection protection in Germany, the RKI conducts many diagnostic and experimental activities. In the event of an imported highly contagious disease, rapid diagnostics are necessary in order to be able to decide about isolation measures and treatment. The BSL-4 laboratory allows a safe handling of such patient samples. Furthermore, it enables the scientists to research highly pathogenic agents and their control in a targeted manner.

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