Research involving the use of human and human-derived tissue, infectious agents/pathogens, or toxins must be registered with the Biosafety Office in order to maintain compliance with institutional and federal regulations. Human tissue includes tissue samples and/or blood from patients, volunteers, or cadavers as well as human-derived cells in tissue culture. Common laboratory cell lines including HEK293 and Hela are not exempt and must be registered.

Infectious agents and pathogens include all bacterial, viral, and fungal agents with potential for vertical or horizontal transmission. "Host-specific" viruses and viral vectors commonly used for gene transfer must also be registered. This includes, but is not limited to, adenovirus, MuLV, and other commercially available or investigator-generated modified lentiviral and retroviral-based vectors.