ATCC's Advanced Models Platform is Helping to Define the Next Generation of Nonclinical Research

New awards from NIAID and FDA affirm ATCC’s leadership in new approach methodologies 

Key takeaways

• NIAID and FDA have selected ATCC to advance new approach methodologies (NAMs), including microphysiological systems (MPS) and organoid-based platforms, for infectious disease and oncology research.
• These latest awards underscore ATCC's expertise and leadership role in NAMs, spanning authenticated cells, organoids, MPS, and traceable genomic and biological data.
• Building on decades of virology expertise, ATCC is applying next-generation MPS technology to screen candidate vaccines and therapeutics against threats like avian influenza and viral encephalitis, supporting a more rapid and targeted response to emerging threats. It is also advancing pediatric cancer organoids with built-in quality controls to support FDA regulatory-science evaluation, potentially accelerating the development and evaluation of new therapies.
  

MANASSAS, Va., Sept. 30, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ATCC, a non-profit biological resource center, has been selected for three new federal contract awards using new approach methodologies (NAMs) to advance nonclinical research across infectious disease and oncology. The awards affirm ATCC's leadership in new approach methodologies (NAMs) and its work to build a trusted infrastructure for nonclinical science through authenticated, human-relevant models.

The awards include:

• A contract from the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), valued at $4.2 million over a three-year period (contract #75N93024D00004/75N93026F00001) to develop a human lung-on-a-chip system for testing candidate vaccines and treatments against seasonal and highly pathogenic avian influenza
• A contract from NIAID (contract # 75N93024D00004/75N93026F00002), valued at $2.4 million over a four-year period to support the development of a human brain and blood-brain barrier chip for screening antiviral countermeasures against neuroinvasive viruses, including those that cause viral encephalitis
• A contract from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s Oncology Center of Excellence, valued at $1.7 million over a three-year period (contract # 75F40126C00080) to develop standardized, cryopreserved organoid models of pediatric brain tumors that support the agency’s efforts to modernize drug evaluation using human-relevant alternatives to animal testing
  

“ATCC’s reputation as a center of excellence for new approach methodologies, as reinforced by these latest contract awards, is built on the rigor we apply to every resource we provide and every model we create,” said Ruth Cheng, PhD, president and CEO of ATCC. “The cell lines, organoids, validated biological models, and microphysiological systems we distribute are each backed by comprehensive data sets fully traceable to their original source, giving researchers confidence in what they're building on. That's the foundation that reproducible science requires and one that ATCC is uniquely qualified to deliver as we support new approach methodologies across disease areas.”

Building the infrastructure for next-generation NAMs

ATCC's advanced models platform spans a growing portfolio of organoids and enabling resources, including primary cells, iPSC-derived cells, and MPS as key components of the NAMs ecosystem, allowing researchers to move beyond traditional animal models. Underpinning the platform is decades of experience in cell banking, cryopreservation, and biological materials stewardship, ensuring every model retains the phenotypic, genotypic, and mutational characteristics of the tissue or disease state it represents.

In addition, through the ATCC Genome Portal, physical materials in ATCC’s collection are paired with authenticated genomic data that are directly traceable to their original source, so researchers can trust not just the models, but the data that accompanies them.

That rigor extends across therapeutic areas and industry applications, from infectious disease and oncology to toxicology and safety testing. For example, a study published in Nature analyzing 421 tumor/model pairs from ATCC's Human Cancer Models Initiative (HCMI) collection found 97.8% concordance in genetic alterations between tumors and their corresponding models, offering systematic, independent confirmation of the standard ATCC applies across its entire portfolio.

Extending infectious disease expertise

That same strong foundation underpins ATCC's depth in infectious disease, enabling reliable data, reproducible results, and faster scientific progress. As new and re-emerging viral threats continue to challenge global health, ATCC's virology portfolio equips researchers with more than 3,000 viruses and reagents spanning animal, plant, and bacteriophage strains, each traceable back to its original source. ATCC also provides the virus-producing cell lines, pathogenic microbial strains, and purified reagents researchers need to advance new vaccines and therapeutics.

The two new NIAID awards land at a moment of sustained pressure on infectious disease preparedness. As the Northern Hemisphere moves toward another influenza season and highly pathogenic avian influenza continues to circulate in bird and animal populations with sporadic spillover into humans, the scientific community needs models that answer human-relevant questions quickly: how a virus behaves in human airway tissue, whether a candidate vaccine or antiviral protects, and how fast a promising countermeasure can move toward the clinic. MPS systems and other new approach methodologies are becoming central to that work because they are built from human tissue rather than animal surrogates.

With the NIAID contracts, ATCC is applying next-generation MPS/NAMs technology to build human lung and central nervous system/blood-brain-barrier systems, giving researchers a new way to screen candidate vaccines and therapeutics against threats like seasonal and high-path avian influenza and viral encephalitis in models built from human tissue.

Beyond infectious disease, the FDA award reflects ATCC’s expertise in advancing NAMs and the FDA’s openness to reviewing and incorporating advanced model platforms into regulatory submissions. Under this contract, ATCC will develop standardized organoid models of pediatric brain tumors with built-in quality controls designed to support regulatory-science evaluation — work that aligns with the FDA's broader efforts to modernize how new treatments are assessed.

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 more than 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.

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ATCC
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