[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 125 (Wednesday, July 27, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E787]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                AMERICAN TYPE CULTURE COLLECTION (ATCC)

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JENNIFER WEXTON

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 27, 2022

  Ms. WEXTON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the American 
Type Culture Collection (ATCC) located in Manassas, Virginia, which has 
provided biological research resources for decades. Over the past two 
years, ATCC played a critical role in responding to the COVID-19 
pandemic by supporting the research community within the National 
Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), the Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Department of Defense (DoD), 
and other partners.
  Founded in 1925, ATCC is a diverse biological resource center, 
focusing on advancing global health initiatives within the U.S. 
government, academia, and research foundations. ATCC has assisted the 
government for over 50 years with research and development, innovative 
solutions, and biological products. During several recent pandemics, 
including COVID-19, SARS, Zika, and H1N1 influenza, ATCC was a provider 
of R&D services, reagents, detection and surveillance assays, and 
logistical support for the federal and global response. ATCC ensured 
the research community could conduct research, gather data, share 
insights, and advance critical countermeasures.
  ATCC manages the Biodefense and Emerging Infections Resources (BEI 
Resources) Program for NIAID, which has received more than 140 variants 
of SARS-CoV-2 and propagated the virus to enable and support 
diagnostic, vaccine, and therapeutic development. BEI Resources has 
provided more than 105,000 vials of SARS-CoV-2 and related coronavirus 
strains and reagents to over 3,600 researchers at 1,700 institutions in 
more than 70 countries since 2020. BEI Resources continues to play a 
critical role in cross-agency initiatives to harmonize research 
methodologies, assess the impact of emerging variants, and evaluate new 
and existing countermeasures.
  ATCC offers researchers a range of tools and resources to contain the 
impact and investigate the long-lasting effects of COVID-19, including 
monoclonal antibodies against the spike glycoprotein receptor binding 
domain of SARS-CoV-2, microbial strains for cross-reactivity testing, 
cell lines for vaccine development and immune research, and heat-
inactivated material for use in molecular assays. ATCC has also worked 
to advance molecular diagnostic testing and has provided the necessary 
array of clinically relevant materials for evaluating the limit of 
detection, inclusivity, and cross-reactivity of the virus.
  As a non-profit, ATCC collaborates with many areas of the federal 
government including, the Department of Health and Human Services 
(HHS), the CDC, the National Cancer Institute, the DoD, the U.S. 
Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Biomedical Advanced Research and 
Development Authority (BARDA) and the Food and Drug Administration 
(FDA) to strengthen and improve public health initiatives.
  Whether the challenge is COVID-19 or another infectious disease, ATCC 
has enabled the research community by providing high-quality, industry-
standard biological materials and services.

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