Institutional Biosafety Committee Meeting
Wednesday, June 18, 2025
Hybrid Meeting, Microsoft Teams Virtual and Oliphant Hall 323
The University of Tulsa
Minutes
Voting Board Members Present
- Mohamed Fakhr, Chair, IBC
- Ron Bonett, Scientist
- Mark Buchheim, Scientist
- Ty Johannes, Scientist
- T. Kent Teague, Non-Affiliated/ Scientist
- Nedra Wilson, Non-Affiliated/ Scientist
Members Absent
- Charles Brown, Scientist
Non-Voting Members, Attendees, Staff and Guests Present
- Abby Guillory, Assistant Vice President for Research
Recording:
- Julie Buchheim, IBC Administrator/ Coordinator of Research Compliance
1. Meeting was called to order at 9:08 a.m.
TU IBC committee members Drs. Johannes, Wilson and Teague attended virtually, while Drs. Fakhr, Buchheim and Bonett attended in person. Quorum was met. Dr. Mohamed Fakhr, IBC Chair, welcomed the members and introduced TU’s new Assistant Vice President for Research, Abby Guillory. Dr. Fakhr then started the meeting.
2. Review Minutes from November 11, 2024, IBC Meeting
Dr. Bonett arrived late (at 9:14), after the minutes were reviewed and the committee had voted to
approve. Quorum was still met. No questions were posed.
Motion:
A motion to approve the minutes was made and seconded. The motion passed.
Total Votes: 5; Votes for: 5; Votes against: 0; Abstentions: 0
The vote reflects 5 voting members were present.
3. Annual Review/Renewal to Existing Protocols
- IBC-008R2 Matt Toomey, “Deconstructing the Mechanisms of Carotenoid Metabolism in Animal Coloration and Vision”.
There were no objections voiced. The Chair explained that the renewal is only for 1 year because the PI will be leaving the University of Tulsa for a position at a different institution in that timeframe. Additionally, it was noted that a researcher listed on the Renewal Form was not listed on the Annual Progress Report. The PI will be asked to add the researcher to the Annual Progress Report.
Update: 6/20/2025- The researcher has been added to the Annual Progress Report
Motion:
A motion to approve Dr. Toomey’s protocol: IBC-008R2 entitled, “Deconstructing the Mechanisms of Carotenoid Metabolism in Animal Coloration and Vision” was made and seconded. The Board passed the motion by unanimous vote.
Total Votes: 6; Votes for: 6; Votes against: 0; Abstentions: 0
The vote reflects 6 voting members were present. - IBC-010R1 Matt Toomey, Ty Johannes, Mark Buchheim, “Engineering Enhanced Astaxanthin Production in Haematococcus”
At 9:21, Drs. Buchheim and Johannes left the meeting, prior to discussion about their protocol. Quorum was still met. There were no objections voiced.
Motion:
A motion to approve Dr. Toomey’s (and Drs. Buchheim’s and Johannes’) protocol: IBC-010R1 entitled, “Engineering Enhanced Astaxanthin Production in Haematococcus” was made and seconded. The Board passed the motion by unanimous vote.
Total Votes: 4; Votes for: 4; Votes against: 0; Abstentions: 0
The vote reflects 4 voting members were present.
4. Other Business
NIH New Guidance (DOT-25-082); Publicly Posting Meeting Minutes and Membership Rosters
- The Coordinator of Research Compliance described the new NIH guidelines (effective June 1, 2025) implemented to meet transparency aims. It was noted that TU’s roster of active IBC committee members will be publicly posted via the IBC-Registration Management System (RMS). The roster will include all IBC members identified by name and role on the committee. NIH will also be posting contact information for the IBC Chair, Biological Safety Officer, and IBC Contact.
- NIH expects that approved meeting minutes from all IBC meetings occurring on, or after June 1, 2025, will be posted publicly on an institutional website. The committee discussed the timeline for posting approved minutes and how they would be posted. The minutes would most likely be posted on TU’s outward-facing webpage, through TU’s MarCom. NIH expects that minutes will be posted immediately after approval and once all appropriate and allowable redactions have been made. The committee discussed that meetings occur infrequently, sometimes a year or more later, so there can be a long period of time before the committee approves the prior meeting’s minutes. It was suggested that the committee might use electronic voting so minutes are approved in a timelier manner.
- The Research Compliance Coordinator noted that minutes from meetings before June 1, 2025, do not need to be posted but still must be provided to members of the public upon request.
5. Meeting was adjourned at 9:32 a.m.
Respectfully submitted by Julie Buchheim
Approved: April 22, 2026