Genetic Research Under Lock and Key

Jan 1, 2002 12:00 PM, By Carol Carey

In 2001, Gene Tools LLC shipped approximately one ounce of product and expected to gross $4 million in sales.

The product — microscopic molecules of redesigned genetic material — is being used by researchers in academic and pharmaceutical labs, and by other biotech companies, to help identify the function of some of the tens of thousands of human genes whose codes have now been identified but whose purpose is as yet undiscovered. The Philomath, Ore.-based company also devotes substantial resources to researching ways to apply the technology therapeutically to fight viruses that cause diseases such as AIDS and certain cancers.

As lucrative as this research is — Gene Tools' sales have skyrocketed from $130,000 in 1999 to $1.15 million in 2000 to the estimated $4 million in 2001 — security remains one of the company's top priorities.

“Researchers around the world have completed sequencing the human genome,” explains Dr. James Summerton, president of the company, located about 90 miles south of Portland. “Now, there is an enormous pile of information and the next step is to find out what the genes actually do. We know what two to three thousand do; there are about 50,000, and we'd like to know what they all do,” Summerton says.

“The best way to find out, is to turn them off one at a time and see what changes,” Summerton continues. “We provide a molecule of redesigned genetic material with specific properties (commonly known as genetic sequences) that are complementary to the gene the customer wants to turn off. This complementary sequence will bind to the gene being studied, thus rendering it inactive.”

Says Summerton, “What we're trying to do is find a way to deliver these sequences to virus-producing cells in human beings, thus destroying them. We have not yet solved the problem of how to deliver this material to the right subcellular compartment in a patient. I think we're awfully close, though, closer than anyone else. It is the kind of information that you want to hold in a high security area.”

Industrial espionage — from inside the company and by outsiders — is Summerton's primary security concern. As such, his security systems and, in many ways, the structure of his company, are meant to provide clear restrictions on which employees have access to which labs and information. For instance, production workers create the molecules used to identify the functions of specific genes (called test molecules), chemists work on the chemical modifications necessary to apply the technology therapeutically, and biologists test the redesigned material in various test systems.

“We break up the activity so that no one person has access to all the information; we do not want the information out until all the patents have been filed,” says Summerton. “The research lab books have most of the information, but they are well segmented. Chemists, biologists and production workers do not have access to each other's books.”

With research books and coded molecules (the redesigned genetic sequences and chemical modifications) being the most valuable commodities, Summerton emphasizes that restricted access to the research labs is an important level of security.

That access is controlled by an electronic lock system, called CyberLock, manufactured by Videx Inc., Corvallis, Ore. The system consists of a software package, CyberAudit, with spreadsheets that allow the operator to program and track activity of both the individual locks and individual keys. Gene Tools uses 15 keys for 50 locks.

The company uses several types of locks, according to Trish Phillips, reseller channel manager at Videx. These include cylinders used both internally and externally, and cam locks. Phillips notes that the Videx electronic locks are adaptable to many standard lock systems, replacing the mechanical core with an electronic one. “For instance, they can be installed in padlocks, or in cabinets which use cam locks,” she notes.

Summerton explains that the system used by Gene Tools involves stand-alone, wireless components. The locks have small round depressions instead of a traditional keyhole. The depression, 1/4-in. deep with a 3/8-in. hole, has three contact points. The key consists of a hard, flat plastic handle 1-in. wide by 2-ins. long with a metal attachment that contains three contact points which fit into the lock, says Summerton. A master key is used to access an entire set of spreadsheets for all the locks, and is also used to program them.

“The system allows me to program an employee's access to particular rooms and labs,” says Summerton, “as well as what days and hours the person may access those rooms. It also allows me to track the activity of a particular lock, such as which keys were used in it and during which days and hours. Both locks and keys can be tracked for up to 1,100 door openings.”

For example, Summerton explains that the employee in charge of maintenance, shipping and receiving has access to such areas as production, bulk storage, construction repair and housekeeping. “He's allowed into these areas when other employees are present, but is not allowed in during weekends or after about 7 p.m.,” says Summerton.

All the keys are pre-coded, and in the software spreadsheet, the locks are listed by room names and number. To program a key, Summerton first calls up the spreadsheet which contains room numbers and names, and highlights the rooms to which an employee will be granted access. On another spreadsheet, he chooses the hours and days of access to these rooms.

“We can program a lock as well as a key, which affords a higher level of security,” says Summerton. “By controlling both lock and key, you can program a lock to override a key, if necessary.”

For instance, if an employee left the company with his/her key, the system could be updated so that all locks would reject that employee's access.

A black utility box, called the CyberKey base station, approximately 4-in. by 4-in., is connected to the serial port of the PC where the Videx software is installed. This PC is located in a vault and is not connected to any workstations, although the capability for such connections exist. The stand-alone status of the software makes it less likely someone will tamper with it, Summerton explains.

Summerton is able to print an activity report for a particular lock using the Videx software. “[Activity reports are] invaluable information considering the high-security nature of our facility. If a molecule goes awry on a particular day, we can track who was in the room at the time. If research information has been tampered with, we can get a report of who had access to that information,” Summerton says.

In addition to the Videx key system, Gene Tools uses Ademco's Passpoint access control system and motion detectors to further reinforce security, according to Tim Morland, installation manager for Security Alarm Corporation (SAC), Corvallis, Ore. SAC is the installer of a number of the security systems at Gene Tools.

Three card readers at the employee and main entrances, and at a small residence Summerton uses for foreign visitors associated with the company, are connected by shielded copper wiring to a file server in a secure room. The access control software, which has reporting capabilities similar to the lock system, has been installed in the server, which is connected to one work station in the same room.

According to Summerton, the room is lined with concrete and back-ups are done once per day on the system.

Motion sensors have been installed inside every room on the periphery of the building, and they are wired to the secure room. Ademco First Alert alarms are triggered if motion or access control points are breached, and signals are sent to SAC, where police are contacted from a UL-listed central station.

Three separate fire alarm systems are also monitored by SAC. A Gamewell Early Warning Fire Detection system provides smoke detection throughout the building with full American Disability Act (ADA) features, such as horns and strobe lights. This system, along with an FM-200 fire suppression system (for chemicals) and a building wide sprinkler system, are all monitored by SAC.

Summerton, whose company moved into its building in August 2001, points out that fireproofing is an important part of the security and life-safety system. Working with Bob Grant of Bob Grant Construction Inc., Corvallis, Ore., the general contractor on the building project, Summerton helped design the floor plan and interior of the building.

The building, inside and out, was designed to ensure maximum fire protection. “The main structure is a steel-frame building, with a roof system that includes steel frames and a metal roof. The exterior walls were composed of a non-flammable product, called Goldboard, which is similar to dry wall or sheet rock, but somewhat harder. The exterior is finished with a non-combustible synthetic plaster,” Grant explains.

“Interior walls are steel-stud framed with dry wall finishes. We used a non-combustible, fire-resistant grade finish. The ceiling system is a suspended, fire-rated ceiling by Armstrong,” Grant continues.

“About half the building is fairly conventional office space, with the rear portion primarily lab space. In most of the lab areas, cinder block or concrete were used. In the labs with a high fire potential rating (an H occupancy rating), an FM-200 fire retardant system was used,” Grant says.

The system, used in labs where flammable chemicals must be controlled with gases, not water, allows the user to control the amount of oxygen that leaves the area so people can breathe until evacuation.

Summerton explains that this system, called an energen system, is used in the production and chemical lab section, where a firewall was built from floor to roof with its own ventilation and sprinkler system. “The room is completely filled with a gas that is composed of nitrogen, carbon dioxide, argon and a small amount of oxygen which cannot support the flame but keeps people from suffocating,” says Summerton.

In office areas containing labs not H-occupancy rated, a conventional water sprinkler system is used, Grant adds.

Given the tight security between different functions at Gene Tools, Summerton is able to maintain a team atmosphere and ensure continued motivation of his staff.

“Almost everyone in the company has a hand in solving the problem of how to deliver the redesigned genetic material to patients,” Summerton says. Not only is the goal a lofty one, holding out hope of contributing to a cure for serious viral diseases, it is also potentially very profitable. The employees' stake in the company is, therefore, substantial.

With an electronic lock system, access control, motion sensors and fire-proofing, Summerton has attempted to be as thorough in securing his company as he is in creating his product.

FOR THE RECORD

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Carol Carey is a Monroe N.Y.-based writer and regular contributor to Access Control & Security Systems.

ABOUT THE COMPANIES

For information, please circle the appropriate Reader Service number (listed below) on one of the Reader Service cards in the issue or visit infoLINK at www.securitysolutions.com.

Ademco	40
Gamewell	41
Security Alarm Corp.	42
Videx Inc.	43

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