Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Projects/Programs

Displaying 1 - 25 of 36

RM 8376 Microbial Pathogen DNA Standards for Detection and Identification

Ongoing
RM 8376 consists of 20 individual gDNA components from 19 bacterial strains and 1 human reference genome. Its purpose is to enable developers and regulators to evaluate the analytical performance of metagenomic next generation sequencing (mNGS) tools. The material is certified for chromosomal copy

Broadband Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Scattering (BCARS) Microscopy

Ongoing
Impact There is a need for label-free chemical microscopy in medicine, biology and materials science. Most of the current methods use chemical labels that often disturb the distribution and nature of chemical components being investigated. The method we are developing enables noninvasive and rapid

Building Measurement Confidence for Cell Characterization

Ongoing
NIST collaborates with key stakeholders in industry, other government agencies, and academia to develop measurement assurance strategies and advanced measurement capabilities for cell characterization. Data and concepts developed through workshops and laboratory programs inform the development of

Certification of a Standard Reference Material for Cytomegalovirus (CMV)

Ongoing
The goal of this project is to provide a SI-traceable reference material for use by calibrant and reagent manufacturers in production of their own calibrants and standards. Clinical laboratories with in-house methods would be able to use the reference material for production of their own quality

Clinical Measurements Quality Assurance Program

Ongoing
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) established the Clinical Measurements Quality Assurance Program (ClinQAP) to support the measurement needs of the clinical community. Participants measure concentrations of marker compounds, contaminants, metabolites in clinical samples (e.g

Development of Enhanced mRNA Amplification Using Microfluidics

Completed
Intended Impact Tissue samples frequently contain multiple cell types. New methods (e.g. laser capture microdissection) enable the segregation of small quantities of individual cells and cell types, but the current methods to analyze global gene expression do not provide highly efficient profiling

Development of SRM 2669 for Accurate Assessment of Arsenic Exposure

Ongoing
Arsenic exposure in the U.S. population is an important part of the NHANES program conducted by CDC because dietary exposure to arsenic can cause serious health effects. A major challenge in the arsenic exposure assessment is that arsenic exists as various species in nature, and the toxicity of

Digital PCR

Ongoing
With appropriately validated assays, digital polymerase chain reaction (dPCR) determines the number of DNA targets (copies) per reaction partition, without the need for a standard curve. Reaction partitions can be in the form of fixed chambers in a microfluidic device, referred to as chamber digital

Fatty Acids in Human Serum and Plasma Quality Assurance Program (FAQAP)

Completed
Interlaboratory comparison studies of the FAQAP focused on the measurement of 24 fatty acids in selected serum and plasma matrices. Frozen or freeze-dried serum or plasma samples were sent to laboratories for analysis together with control materials. Results were returned to NIST for data evaluation

Flow Cytometry Lab

Ongoing
Current Capabilities ERF value assignment measurement service for traceable ERF value assignment to microparticles, Aseptic sorting of cell lines, and primary cells Quantitative measurements of cell surface and intracellular biomarkers by estimating antibody bound per cell Accurate enumeration of

Genome in a Bottle

Ongoing
Consortium goals: The Genome in a Bottle Consortium is a public-private-academic consortium hosted by NIST to develop the technical infrastructure (reference standards, reference methods, and reference data) to enable translation of whole human genome sequencing to clinical practice and innovations

Genome in a Bottle Workshops

Ongoing
GIAB has held 1-2 workshops each year since being formed in 2012. These workshops include progress updates, presentations about related work, and planning for new samples and analyses. Following are links to agendas, reports, and presentations from past workshops. Workshop Reports APRIL 2020

Health Assessment Measurements Quality Assurance Program (HAMQAP)

Completed
Participants in the HAMQAP measured concentrations of nutritional and toxic elements, fat- and water-soluble vitamins, fatty acids, active and/or marker compounds, and contaminants in samples distributed by NIST.   Samples that represent human intake (e.g., foods, dietary supplements, tobacco) were

Human Gut Microbiome Reference Material

Ongoing
The most common measurements currently being used to describe these complex microbial communities are: NGS-based metagenomics Mass spectrometry-based metabolomics In either case, no fit-for-purpose standards exist that enable researchers to compare results generated across different laboratories and

H5 Influenza Positive Controls

Ongoing
In response to the current H5N1 avian influenza outbreak, NIST has developed a research grade test material (RGTM) for PCR-based assays. This material contains 3 vials with RNA fragments for HA (Part A), NA (Part B), and MP (Part C). A NIST Reference Material is also under development. The guidance

Methods to Quantify Microbial Viability

Ongoing
Validating DNA-based methods to quantify viable bacteria ( S. Da Silva , G. Pinheiro) Microbial detection technologies based on nucleic acid measurements, such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR), are powerful detection tools that can provide relatively rapid results as compared to traditional

Micronutrients Measurement Quality Assurance Program (MMQAP)

Completed
The MMQAP supported the long-term (months to years) reliability of selected fat- or water-soluble vitamin measurements in human serum and plasma. Results from the comparison studies helped participants to make accurate clinical and health-care decisions as well as to maintain and improve their

Nanoplasmonics and Three-Dimensional Plasmonic Metamaterials

Ongoing
Plasmonic materials are composed of metals and insulators that are ordered in geometric arrangements with dimensions that are fractions of the wavelength of light. Research groups are experimenting with a variety of geometric approaches, but all aim to exploit surface plasmons, which are light

NIST/EDRN Cancer Biomarker Collaboration

Completed
Our lab is one of the EDRN Biomarker Reference Laboratories working with the EDRN discovery labs to improve the quality of the measurements done on new cancer biomarkers for early detection of cancer and for cancer risk. TECHNICAL APPROACH Evaluate current assays used for detection of cancer