Therapeutic Development Services - Interventional Agents program provides services to facilitate preclinical development of therapeutics and new in vivo diagnostics for infectious pathogens, including bacteria, viruses, parasites, fungi, and toxins. Services will be conducted at the appropriate regulatory compliance level dependent on the stage of product development.
Note: Devices are excluded.
The In Vitro Assessment for Antimicrobial Activity program provides capability in a broad range of in vitro assessments to evaluate promising candidate countermeasures for antimicrobial activity against microbial pathogens and vectors, including those derived from clinical specimens.
This is one of several programs provided by NIAID's Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases to support infectious disease product developers.
This contract program supports the development and refinement of animal models and animal replacement technologies and provides in vivo and complex human cell-based in vitro model preclinical testing services, ranging from screening and proof-of-concept to GLP efficacy studies.
Shigellosis is an infectious, diarrheal disease caused by a group of bacteria called Shigella. Transmission of Shigella usually occurs through contact with the “4 Fs,” which are food, feces, flies, and fomites (inert surfaces). It also can also be spread through sexual contact. The disease typically resolves in 5 to 7 days.
Estimates on the number of shigellosis cases vary, as many mild cases often are not diagnosed or reported. Shigella cause an estimated 450,000 infections in the United States each year and an estimated $93 million in direct medical costs.
NIAID supports basic research to study the bacterial pathogens that cause shigellosis. Researchers are also developing vaccines to prevent Shigella infections in humans and ways to combat the effects of Shiga toxin geared towards protecting the public from this diarrheal disease and towards improving the general public health.
To learn about risk factors for shigellosis and current prevention and treatment strategies visit the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) Shigella site.
Researchers are developing vaccines to prevent Shigella infections in humans. Scientists also are developing and testing monoclonal antibodies to combat the effects of Shiga toxin. These and other clinical studies are geared towards protecting the public from this diarrheal disease and towards improving the general public health.