DASH Research Safety

What is DASH Research Safety?

DASH Research Safety is an Institutional Biosafety Committee and Radiation Safety submission and management system. The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga will only be using the IBC-related capabilities of the module. The Safety module is part of the DASH Research platform being used across the UT system.

The DASH Research Safety application enables principal investigators and lead instructors to submit IBC protocols and follow-on submissions (amendments, continuing reviews) for review by the IBC. The DASH Research Safety system shepherds protocols through a series of states based on the actions of personnel participating in the review cycle. Protocol team members can clearly view which state the protocol is in from the workflow diagram shown for each submitted protocol. 

DASH Research Safety has replaced UTC’s former email submission and review process, including supervisor approvals for protocols.

User Guides

• Submit a New IBC Protocol
• Respond to a Clarification Request
• Submit an Amendment, Continuing Review or De Novo

FAQs

Helpful Hints

Use the percent sign “%” to help filter your search. For example, to search for Escherichia coli, within the filter area, type “%coli”. This will filter everything that has “coli’ in the name.

If a question is searchable, type in the word/phrase that is contained in the name directly in the question. This will not necessarily pull up all possibilities but may show the most common names.

Help text at the end of a question may provide additional context to help you answer a particular question. Just click on the “question mark” bubble for the help text to appear.

I want to add a person to the protocol, but cannot find them in the DASH Research system.

Try searching for the name using different filters, e.g. last name, first name, email address, campus, etc. 

If the person you want to add is a student and you cannot find them, they may not be in the DASH Research system yet. Students who are not already employees as a student worker, GA, etc. must be added to the DASH Research system through a request process. Contact the Office of Research Integrity for assistance ([email protected]). 

If the person you want to add to the protocol is not a UT faculty, staff or student, you will need to add them to the protocol as an external member. Refer to the “Submit a New IBC Protocol” user guide for more information. 

I cannot find an agent in the list provided.

If you cannot find the agent that you want to add to your protocol within the list provided, it may need to be added to the DASH Research Safety module system. Contact the Office of Research Integrity for assistance at [email protected].

Do I need to describe the “Use of the Agent” for every agent added to the protocol?

No, information on how you are using each agent should be provided already within Question 7 on the Basic Information page. For the “Use of the Agent” question, indicate that the information was provided within this earlier question. This will help streamline the submission and review process and reduce the possibility of errors.

I’m not using a vector and will only be using oligos in my activities. How should I complete Question 12 within the Recombinant or Synthetic Nucleic Acid Work Description page?

Use the following information to fill out Question 12 if you aren’t using vectors. If you have additional questions, please contact the Office of Research Integrity at [email protected]. 

Sequence Name: List the name of the oligo you are using. 

Function of the Gene, cDNA, or Sequence (insert): Include a short description of the purpose of the oligo. 

Purpose: If none of the options apply, just select one. 

Species of Gene/Sequence of Origin: Within this space indicate that you had to select an option for the question above, but this purpose does not apply to the proposed activities. 

Does gene/insert encode any of the following?: Choose the most appropriate answer. 

How do I fill out the Dual Use Research of Concern page?

UTC facilities cannot currently support activities that fall under the category of Dual Use Research of Concern. Use the following information to complete this page:

Question 2: DUAL USE CATEGORY 1 EXPERIMENT CATEGORIES USED IN THIS RESEARCH: For all protocols, Select “None of the above”.

Question 5: EXPLAIN WHY YOU BELIEVE THIS PROTOCOL IS OR IS NOT DUAL USE RESEARCH OF CONCERN: For all protocols, insert the following text: None of the biological agents and toxins specified in Section 4.1.1 of The United States Government Policy for Oversight of Dual Use Research of Concern and Pathogens with Enhanced Pandemic Potential are used in this protocol. 

I clicked “Finish”, but my protocol is still in the Pre-Submission state

Clicking “Finish” does not submit the protocol, amendment or continuing review to the IBC. In order to submit to the IBC, you must click the “Submit” activity on the left-hand side of the protocol workspace. Once this has happened, the protocol will move to the Specialist Review state.

I am no longer performing the activities on my approved protocol and want to close the protocol. How do I close the protocol?

Step 1: Open the protocol and enter the protocol workspace for the protocol you want to close.

Step 2: On the left-hand side, click the “Close Protocol” activity.

Step 3. Answer “Yes” to Question 1, and Click “OK”. 

The protocol has been closed and associated activities may no longer be conducted.