In Vitro Assessments of Antimicrobial Activity (IVAAA)

Support the NIAID, Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (DMID) with in vitro testing to assess the therapeutic potential of compounds to advance our understanding of infectious diseases as well as advance the development of therapeutics for infectious diseases.

NIAID supports nearly all stages of the product development pipeline from in vitro therapeutic evaluation through advanced therapeutic and vaccine testing and manufacturing using multiple support services contracts. The current solicitation addresses a critical stage in this pipeline by providing an efficient means to assess the therapeutic potential of compounds through in vitro testing. The overarching goal of the In Vitro Assessments of Antimicrobial Activity program is to provide a broad and flexible range of in vitro assessment capabilities to the extramural research community to evaluate promising candidate countermeasures against the more than 270 pathogens, toxins, and vectors (PTVs) that are within the purview of DMID. In vitro assay capabilities include: product screening, assay development, and development of improved systems for culturing difficult to grow pathogens in vitro. These capabilities will allow the NIAID to respond to changing priorities as scientific and public health needs shift, including rapid responses to public health emergencies.
In addition to meeting the needs of extramural researchers, it is anticipated that contracts resulting from this solicitation will provide crucial data that may be used by NIAID partners at other agencies in DHHS. Such data will facilitate the advancement of promising candidate medical countermeasures against priority bioterror agents to approval or licensure and, in some cases, eventual deposit in the Strategic National Stockpile.