ATCC Announces Award from NIAID to Support Preclinical Models of Infectious Diseases

ATCC will provide a broad range of in vivo and in vitro models, as well as specialized reagents, for use in infectious disease treatment and research.

ATCC Announces Award from NIAID to Support Preclinical Models of Infectious Diseases

Kim Testa, senior director, Corporate Communications & Public Affairs, ATCC, pr@atcc.org.

ATCC, the world’s premier biological materials management and standards organization, today announced that it has been awarded a seven-year Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), an institute within the National Institutes of Health (NIH). ATCC will support the NIAID Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases in developing, refining and using both animal and animal replacement models to assess candidate therapeutics, vaccines and diagnostics targeted at infectious diseases. Additionally, ATCC will generate difficult-to-source reagents requiring animal models. This award builds upon ATCC’s existing contracts with NIAID, which support the institute’s mission to conduct basic and applied research to better understand, treat, and ultimately prevent infectious, immunologic, and allergic diseases.

“As we continue our work with NIAID, our goal remains clear – to provide scientists with the cutting-edge biological resources they need to make incredible discoveries,” said ATCC chairman and CEO Raymond H. Cypess, DVM, PhD. “With new preclinical in vivo models and innovative alternatives, such as organoids, researchers can reduce or eliminate animal testing and more quickly and efficiently advance drug candidates through the pipeline to clinical evaluation, as well as more effectively respond to emergent infectious diseases.”

ATCC will participate in three task areas as part of this contract: (A) small animal models of infectious diseases, (C) animal replacement and non-traditional animal models of infectious diseases, and (D) generation and distribution of specialized reagents. For Task Area A, ATCC will establish or refine an existing challenge model in one small animal species for the purpose of evaluating candidate products to prevent or treat disease caused by a specific infectious agent. Task Area C involves adapting and developing animal replacement models, such as organ-on-a-chip technology, for use in infectious disease research to screen candidate products for efficacy. The purpose of Task Area D is to produce difficult-to-source reagents such as life stages of parasites, live vectors, tissues infected with unculturable organisms, and other reagents needed to study a pathogen using in vivo models. These reagents will be distributed through NIAID’s repository, BEI Resources, which is managed by ATCC.

“Supporting our government partners’ public health initiatives is one of our top priorities,” said Joseph Leonelli, PhD, senior vice president and general manager of ATCC Federal Solutions. “Using our expertise, we are able to help NIAID expand its research capabilities and use of novel preclinical models in infectious disease research to better human health.”

The project is funded by federal funds from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services under contract number 75N93024D00004.

About ATCC

ATCC is a premier global biological materials and information resource and standards organization and the leading developer and supplier of authenticated cell lines, microorganisms, and associated data for academia, industry, and government. With a history of scientific contributions spanning nearly a century, ATCC offers an unmatched combination of being the world’s largest and most diverse collection of biological reference materials and data, and is a mission-driven, trusted partner that supports and encourages scientific collaboration. ATCC products, services, partnerships, and people provide the global scientific community with credible, advanced, model systems to support complex research and innovations in basic science, drug discovery, translational medicine, and public health. ATCC is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization headquartered in Manassas, Virginia, with research and technology centers of excellence in Gaithersburg and Germantown, Maryland. To learn more, visit atcc.org.