University of Delaware-based national institute will address testing, diagnostics, supply chain and vaccine manufacturing
The nation’s battle against the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic gained new muscle this week with an $8.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce to the National Institute for Innovation in Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing (NIIMBL). NIIMBL, a public-private partnership headquartered at the University of Delaware and part of the Manufacturing USA network, will use the money to expand testing and diagnostic capability, address problems in the supply chain and help develop approaches to accelerate manufacturing once a vaccine has been developed and approved for use.
“Never in our lifetime have we experienced a global crisis of this magnitude. It presents a massive challenge but also an opportunity — one that I deeply believe we are positioned to help meet.”
The work will draw on NIIMBL’s partnerships with more than 150 members, including those in industry, small business, federal and university-based labs. Specifically, the new grant will support efforts to:
- Provide virus proteins to improve blood testing capabilities
- Assist regional hospital systems with validation of rapid in-house testing
- Identify domestic supply chains to reduce dependence on foreign suppliers of respirators and protective masks
- Validate decontamination approaches for clinical spaces
- Develop automated contact tracing technology within pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities to limit the spread of COVID-19
- Position the nation to scale up medical response to pandemics more quickly by developing flexible manufacturing capabilities for biologic therapies and rapid-release testing
Read the full story from University of Delaware here.