Cutting-Edge Research & Testing Capabilities
CUBRC harnesses decades of experience supporting the U.S. Government, Department of Defense (DoD), the Chemical and Biological Defense Program and industry customers with laboratory research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&E). These efforts help advance detection, decontamination, personal protection and medical countermeasure (MCM) technologies aimed at protecting our military personnel and our citizens.
CUBRC utilizes decades of RDT&E experience to advance medical countermeasure technologies to protect our military personnel and citizens.
We use an array of pre-clinical and non-clinical in vitro assays and other test methodologies including ASTM and DoD Test Operation Procedures and adapt them to meet client needs while providing high-quality, defendable data sets. All of this work falls under CUBRC’s ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System.
Biological Defense
CUBRC supports the development of technologies aimed at protecting our warfighters from biological agent exposure. We provide laboratory test and evaluation to support MCM development (therapeutics, diagnostics, vaccines and devices), prevention, surveillance, detection, mitigation and recovery from the use of biological agents.
Our facilities and personnel are certified to receive, store and use Category 1, 2 and 3 Select Agents. We work with clients to develop customized approaches to test their biological detection, decontamination and personal protective systems. Our methods, equipment and expertise are applied to support client needs ranging from in vitro assays to customized testing of large-scale and mature systems.
Public Health
CUBRC scientists support basic and applied research programs with the design and execution of customized studies to evaluate client products against a variety of infectious disease threats. Our services focus on the early-stage development of small molecule and biologics therapeutics, diagnostics and/or therapeutic devices. We perform a variety of techniques including plaque assays, TCID50 assays, RNA extraction/purification and qRT-PCR.
In Vitro Studies
CUBRC maintains robust bacterial and viral pathogen panels within our BSL-2 and BSL-3 laboratories and routinely conduct in vitro studies including but not limited to:
- Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion
- Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC)
- Minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC)
- Synergy (checkerboard assay)
- Time-kill studies
- Spontaneous resistance
- Drug cytotoxicity assays (bacterial and viral, CC50)
- Biofilm assays
- Plaque reduction assay (IC50)
- CPE inhibition-based assays (microneutralization IC50)
Emerging Threats
CUBRC stands ready to support its customers with its laboratory R&D and testing services as new biological threats emerge and become a concern to our warfighters and our homeland. We work with companies developing new and improved products for the diagnosis, treatment, detection and disinfection of known and emerging biological threats and have the expertise to adapt existing facilities, equipment and methodologies to meet customer-specific requirements. Our work includes a robust capability to conduct testing of disinfection and decontamination products for effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19), influenza viruses and other viral pathogens with the potential to threaten our nation’s public health.
