ATCC Hosts NSCEB for Important Biotechnology Discussions

ATCC, the leading private, non-profit biological resources and standards organization, held an event titled "Empowering the Future of Biotechnology Through Trusted Science" today, featuring the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology (NSCEB) at its headquarters in Manassas, Virginia. This gathering was part of the NSCEB's "Biotech Across America" roadshow, which brought together ATCC leaders and key stakeholders from the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) to discuss the future of biotechnology and biosecurity in the U.S. The discussions were centered on the vital role that infrastructure, workforce, and authenticated data and biomaterials play in strengthening U.S. competitiveness in biotechnology.

"Today’s event was key because we convened top leaders and decision makers from the Capital Region to share their commitment and bold ideas for advancing biotechnology innovation in this country,” said ATCC President and CEO Ruth Cheng, PhD.

“This event was an opportunity to showcase ATCC’s alignment and 100-year support of gold standard science, and hear directly from the NSCEB and other organizations in our region that are shaping the future of U.S. biotechnology policy and national security,” Cheng continued. “ATCC is known around the world as a trustworthy source of biomaterials and data because of its rigorous quality processes, reliability, and expertise, and as an essential partner in the bioeconomy.”

The event included a discussion featuring NSCEB Executive Director Caitlin Frazer and NSCEB Commissioner Dawn Meyerriecks, who reviewed progress made since the NSCEB’s April 2025 report to Congress, "Charting the Future of Biotechnology," and emphasized the importance of authenticated biological data in executing the report’s recommendations.

A panel titled “Biotech’s Backbone: The Role of Authenticated Inputs in a Secure and Resilient Bioeconomy,” moderated by Victor Suarez, Founder of Blu Zone Bioscience & Supply Chain Solutions and Colonel (Ret), U.S. Army, included insights from key industry leaders. The panelists discussed how infrastructure, workforce, and trusted data and biomaterials are enabling AI, automation, and scalable biomanufacturing.

Juan Pablo Segura, Secretary of Commerce and Trade for the Commonwealth of Virginia, addressed the significance of collaboration among government, industry, academia, and organizations like ATCC to foster innovation, workforce development, and policy alignment.

Virginia Bio CEO John Newby, JD, and Phyllis Arthur, MBA, Executive Vice President of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), concluded the event with a conversation on how national and regional organizations are influencing the biotech landscape, supporting innovation, and bridging gaps between policy, industry, and research.

The NSCEB Biotech Across America tour aims to highlight U.S. companies, academic institutions, industry alliances, workforce development programs, and policy initiatives that are shaping the future of the rapidly evolving biotechnology sector. The Commissioners seek to continue learning about the vibrant biotech ecosystem and to engage with key findings and recommendations from their recent report, which include:

- Prioritize biotechnology at the national level
- Mobilize the private sector to get U.S. products to scale
- Maximize the benefits of biotechnology and defense
- Out-innovate strategic U.S. competitors
- Build the biotechnology workforce of the future
- Mobilize the collective strengths of our allies and partners

“ATCC is already working to advance the recommendations outlined in the report through sustained commitments and strategic partnerships with the scientific community, enabling and catalyzing the innovations needed to drive U.S. biotechnology forward,” stated ATCC Federal Solutions Senior Vice President Rebecca Bradford, MBA, MS, PMP. “ATCC has served as a trusted partner to Federal agencies for more than 60 years, providing authenticated biological materials that uphold national biosafety and biosecurity standards.”

ATCC is set to open a new biomanufacturing facility in 2026, which will play a crucial role in the Federal government's pandemic preparedness strategy, enhancing the benefits of biotechnology for defense and generating 75 new life sciences jobs in the region. Furthermore, ATCC is establishing a strong foundation to accelerate the creation of a Web of Biological Data (WOBD), as recommended by the NSCEB. The ATCC Genome Portal is an expanding secure database that offers whole-genome sequences from authenticated microbial strains in the ATCC collection, providing high-quality, annotated data for bioinformatics analyses. ATCC’s collaboration with The Align Foundation aims to create the world’s largest open-access microbial phenotyping dataset to facilitate AI research and empower the scientific community.

“We are a global biological resource center that has supported life science research for more than a century,” added Rebecca Bradford. “We will continue to do so in the future by expanding our role as a trusted steward of authenticated biomaterials to support national biosafety standards, as well as enabling AI-driven biological discovery by digitizing and structuring our vast biological data repositories.”

“I want to thank ATCC for hosting this valuable conversation and highlighting the importance of elevating our world-leading biotech industry’s knowledge and capabilities,” remarked NSCEB Commissioner Dawn Meyerriecks. “As the Commission’s work continues, we will build on our legislative progress so far with the help of dedicated organizations like ATCC to support U.S. economic resilience and our global competitiveness.”