ATCC Hosts National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology in Capital Region
ATCC, the world’s premier private, non-profit biological resources and standards organization, hosted the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology (NSCEB) at its Manassas, Virginia headquarters today as part of the NSCEB’s “Biotech Across America” roadshow. The event, titled Empowering the Future of Biotechnology Through Trusted Science, convened leaders from the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) Capital Region for a timely discussion on the future of U.S. biotechnology and biosecurity.
The conversation focused on the critical roles of infrastructure, workforce, and authenticated data and biomaterials in ensuring U.S. competitiveness in biotechnology. The event also provided a platform to highlight ATCC’s century-long commitment to gold-standard science.
“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 shaping the future of U.S. biotechnology policy and national security,” said ATCC President and CEO Ruth Cheng, PhD. “ATCC is known worldwide as a trustworthy source of biomaterials and data because of our rigorous quality processes, reliability, and expertise, and as an essential partner in the bioeconomy. 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.”
The program featured a conversation with NSCEB Executive Director Caitlin Frazer and NSCEB Commissioner Dawn Meyerriecks, who discussed progress since the April 2025 release of the Commission’s report to Congress, Charting the Future of Biotechnology. The discussion emphasized the importance of authenticated biological data in implementing the report’s recommendations.
A panel discussion, 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, explored how infrastructure, workforce, and trusted biological data enable artificial intelligence (AI), automation, and scalable biomanufacturing. Panelists included:
- Dawn Meyerriecks, NSCEB Commissioner
- Patrick Boyle, PhD, Interim Chief Scientific Officer, ATCC
- Eric Edwards, MD, PhD, CEO, Phlow Corporation
- Andrew Magyar, PhD, Founder and Chief Scientific Officer, Capra Biosciences
- Nili Ostrov, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer, Cultivarium
Additionally, Juan Pablo Segura, Secretary of Commerce and Trade for the Commonwealth of Virginia, emphasized the importance of collaboration among government, industry, academia, and organizations like ATCC to advance innovation, workforce development, and policy alignment.
A separate discussion between Virginia Bio CEO John Newby, JD, and Phyllis Arthur, MBA, Executive Vice President of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), addressed how national and regional organizations are shaping the biotechnology landscape, supporting innovation, and connecting policy, industry, and research.
Event partners included BioBuzz, BioHealth Innovation, Capra Biosciences, George Mason University Institute for Biohealth Innovation, G2G Consulting, Prince William Economic Development, and Virginia Bio.
The NSCEB Biotech Across America tour highlights U.S. companies, academic institutions, industry alliances, workforce programs, and policy initiatives driving the rapidly growing biotechnology sector. The Commission continues to engage stakeholders to inform recommendations from its report, which gathered input from hundreds of global experts and government officials. The report emphasizes:
- Prioritizing biotechnology at the national level
- Mobilizing the private sector to scale U.S. products
- Maximizing biotechnology benefits for defense
- Out-innovating strategic competitors
- Building the biotechnology workforce of the future
- Leveraging collective strengths of U.S. allies and partners
ATCC is actively advancing these recommendations through strategic partnerships and ongoing initiatives. “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,” said Rebecca Bradford, MBA, MS, PMP, Senior Vice President of ATCC Federal Solutions.
A highlight of ATCC’s future contributions is its new biomanufacturing facility, opening in 2026, which will bolster the Federal government’s pandemic preparedness strategy, create 75 new life sciences jobs, and enhance U.S. capabilities in biomanufacturing. ATCC is also supporting the development of a Web of Biological Data (WOBD), as recommended by the NSCEB. The ATCC Genome Portal, a secure database of whole-genome sequences from authenticated microbial strains, enables high-quality bioinformatics analyses. Additionally, ATCC is partnering with The Align Foundation to create the world’s largest open-access microbial phenotyping dataset to accelerate AI-driven research.
“We are a global biological resource center that has supported life science research for over a century,” Bradford said. “We will continue expanding our role as a trusted steward of authenticated biomaterials to uphold national biosafety standards and enable AI-driven biological discovery by structuring and digitizing our vast biological data repositories.”
NSCEB Commissioner Dawn Meyerriecks added, “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. As the Commission’s work continues, we will build on our legislative progress with the help of dedicated organizations like ATCC to support U.S. economic resilience and global competitiveness.”
The event underscored the ongoing partnership between government, industry, and academia to strengthen the U.S. biotechnology ecosystem and maintain the nation’s leadership in scientific innovation and biosecurity.
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