ATCC Announces New Award from BARDA to Join its Clinical Studies Network

MANASSAS, Va., Oct. 6, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- ATCC, the world's premier biological materials management and standards organization, today announced a potential 10-year, Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract award with a ceiling value of $250 million from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), a division of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

This new contract complements ATCC's ongoing support of the government's COVID-19 pandemic response with BARDA, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Food and Drug Administration. ATCC continues to fulfill its mission to bring standardization to biological material and investigational product management. In addition, this initiative provides new capabilities for the Clinical Studies Network (CSN) that will enhance continuity across the BARDA portfolio. The BARDA initiative will build on lessons-learned from ATCC's existing contracts with the National Cancer Institute.

Specifically, ATCC will provide the BARDA CSN with a biological specimen and investigational product storage facility with centralized services for collection, receipt, storage, protection, processing, tracking, retrieval, packaging, and distribution. In this capacity, ATCC will provide a critical capability to the BARDA CSN, working in close coordination with other CSN components, including Clinical Trial Planning and Execution and the Statistical and Data Coordinating Center.

"This program enhances and extends ATCC's long history as a national resource supporting both American competitiveness in basic and clinical science and critical public health efforts," said Dr. Raymond H. Cypess, Chairman and CEO of ATCC. "ATCC is a partner in the investigations of the academic, government, and commercial research communities to develop effective diagnostic, therapeutic, and preventive tools and reagents. We look forward to supporting BARDA and the Clinical Studies Network to improve the health and safety of our nation."

ATCC is honored to bring its demonstrated best practices for the safe and secure management of biological specimens to support BARDA's mission by providing a central storage facility with standardized processes for inventory management, long-term storage of biological (clinical and/or non-clinical) specimens, and investigational products across BARDA-supported studies. ATCC also will manage transport of biological specimens and investigational products for end-of-study archiving and future use and will transfer legacy biological specimens and associated inventory data currently in temporary storage at contract research organizations.

"With this award, ATCC continues to expand its support for HHS and critical government clinical studies on vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics," said Dr. Joseph Leonelli, Vice President of ATCC Federal Solutions. "We look forward to working on these important initiatives together."

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 and microorganisms. With a history of scientific advancements spanning nearly a century, ATCC offers an unmatched combination of being the world's largest and most diverse collection of biological research solutions and a mission-driven, trusted partner that supports and encourages scientific collaboration. ATCC products, services, and people provide the scientific community with credible biological products, advanced model systems, and custom solutions that support complex research in a variety of innovative applications resulting in incredible achievements in basic science, drug discovery, translational medicine, and public health. ATCC is a nonprofit organization with headquarters in Manassas, Virginia, and an R & D innovation center in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

About BARDA

HHS works to enhance and protect the health and well-being of all Americans, providing for effective health and human services and fostering advances in medicine, public health, and social services. The mission of ASPR is to save lives and protect Americans from 21st century health security threats. Within ASPR, BARDA invests in the innovation, advanced research and development, acquisition, and manufacturing of medical countermeasures – vaccines, drugs, therapeutics, diagnostic tools, and non-pharmaceutical products needed to combat health security threats. To learn more about the whole-of-America response to the coronavirus pandemic, visit www.coronavirus.gov, for more information about BARDA's COVID-19 portfolio, visit www.medicalcountermeasures.gov and to learn more about BARDA's core assistance services, to aid medical countermeasure (MCM) developers with essential product development tools and services, including the CSN, visit https://www.medicalcountermeasures.gov/barda/core-services/clinical-studies-support.aspx

SOURCE ATCC