ROCKVILLE, MD (September 14, 2011) – The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has awarded ABL with a contract to provide preclinical development support for promising candidates when such candidates emerge from the investigator-initiated research studies. These capabilities will allow NIAID to more rapidly and efficiently close development and production gaps. ABL will assist NIAID staff in providing all support needed for small-scale production, preclinical testing and documentation leading to Investigational New Drug (IND) submissions for Phase I, II and III clinical testing. This work is funded in whole with federal funds from NIAID, NIH, Department of Health and Human Services, under Contract Number HHSN272201100021I.

Since 2004, ABL has executed the “Master Contract for Preclinical Development of HIV Vaccines and Microbicides” (HHSN26200400045C), which is in effect through August 2012. This new award is considered the successor contract. ABL has worked closely with DAIDS to execute this novel, non-traditional and comprehensive developmental program to supplement industry involvement in vaccine development and bridge the gap between basic science research and Phase I/II clinical trials. The contract allows NIAID to apply comprehensive resources for the development of promising approaches for prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS.

Dr. Thomas VanCott, ABL’s President, Chief Executive Officer and Principal Investigator of this contract says, “With this seven-year contract, ABL will continue to work closely with NIAID and the industry scientific leaders to advance promising technology for development of an HIV vaccine. ABL is strongly committed to NIH’s goals of partnering with investigators by offering critical gap filling services that will allow support for product candidates through to clinical trials. This award further demonstrates ABL’s expertise of partnering with NIH on gap filling master contracts.”

About ABL

Advanced BioScience Laboratories, Inc. (ABL) is a Maryland-based biomedical contract research and manufacturing organization dedicated to advancing vaccines, therapeutics and other biologic products. ABL has extensive experience working with diverse organizations, including various government and academic entities and commercial bio/pharmaceutical companies. Notable services include basic research, product design, process and assay development, preclinical in vivo models (including immunomonitoring), and Phase I/II cGMP biologics manufacturing. Since 2001 ABL has been a part of the Institut Mérieux, a group of four companies dedicated to developing translational science for better patient care globally.

For more information on ABL and our services, please visit our website at www.ablinc.com.

About NIAID

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the NIH, conducts and supports research—at NIH, throughout the United States, and worldwide—to study the causes of infectious and immune-mediated diseases, and to develop better means of preventing, diagnosing and treating these illnesses.

For more information, visit http://www.niaid.nih.gov.