American Type Culture Collection

American Type Culture Collection
source
Name	American Type Culture Collection
Abbreviation	ATCC
Formation	1925
Type	Biological resource center
Location	Manassas, Virginia, United States
Leader title	CEO
Leader name	Jean Bennett

American Type Culture Collection is a nonprofit biological resource center that acquires, authenticates, preserves, develops, and distributes standard reference microorganisms, cell lines, and other biological materials. It supports scientific research, biotechnology, pharmaceutical development, public health, and regulatory activities through curated repositories, quality control services, and collaborative programs. The organization interacts with universities, research institutes, industry partners, and government agencies across the United States and internationally.

History

ATCC was founded in 1925 during a period of expansion in United States Public Health Service activities and institutionalization of laboratory standards following World War I. Early connections included researchers from Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research, Harvard Medical School, Johns Hopkins University, and the United States Department of Agriculture. Over decades ATCC responded to needs arising from World War II, the postwar growth of pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer, and the rise of molecular biology at institutions like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. During the late 20th century ATCC expanded holdings in response to biotechnology pioneers at Genentech, Amgen, and Merck & Co., while cooperating with regulatory authorities including the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ATCC’s archives and collections reflect contributions from investigators affiliated with National Institutes of Health, Rockefeller University, Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, and international partners such as Pasteur Institute and Max Planck Society.

Organization and governance

ATCC operates as a nonprofit corporation governed by a board of directors drawn from academia, industry, and government, including representatives from American Association for the Advancement of Science, Association of American Medical Colleges, and private-sector entities like Johnson & Johnson and Gilead Sciences. Executive leadership collaborates with advisory committees comprising scientists from National Cancer Institute, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Wellcome Trust, and regulatory liaison with World Health Organization and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Operational divisions coordinate with laboratory partners at University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University, University of Michigan, Yale University, Duke University, University of Chicago, and international centers such as Canadian Institutes of Health Research affiliates and Karolinska Institute collaborators. ATCC’s governance includes policies informed by guidance from American Society for Microbiology, International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories, and legal counsel versed in statutes like the Bayh–Dole Act and international agreements such as the Nagoya Protocol.

Collections and holdings

ATCC maintains extensive collections spanning microorganisms, animal and human cell lines, and molecular materials sourced from researchers at Salk Institute, Broad Institute, NIH Clinical Center, Imperial College London, Seoul National University, Peking University, and University of Tokyo. Holdings include bacterial strains relevant to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reference panels, viral isolates connected to surveillance by European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, fungal species from researchers at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and mycoplasma and protozoa from investigators at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. Human and animal cell lines include legacy lines used by laboratories at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, and stem cell lines coordinated with International Society for Stem Cell Research and registries at European Bank for induced pluripotent Stem Cells. ATCC also curates microbial reference materials used by United States Pharmacopeia, vaccine developers at Sanofi, and diagnostic manufacturers at Roche and Abbott Laboratories.

Services and quality standards

ATCC provides authentication services such as microbial identification, cell line authentication via short tandem repeat profiling used by laboratories at National Cancer Institute and European Molecular Biology Laboratory, contamination testing like mycoplasma detection used by Thermo Fisher Scientific customers, and cryopreservation services aligned with standards from International Organization for Standardization and accreditation bodies including American Association for Laboratory Accreditation. Quality systems support regulatory submissions to Food and Drug Administration, standards for biomanufacturing used by Biogen, and proficiency testing for public health labs coordinated with Association of Public Health Laboratories. ATCC participates in ring trials with institutions like Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and offers custom culture development for industrial partners such as Bayer and Novartis.

Research, education, and collaborations

ATCC engages in collaborative research with academic groups at University of California, San Diego, Massachusetts General Hospital, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and consortia including the Human Microbiome Project and Cancer Genome Atlas. Educational outreach includes training programs for students from Cornell University, Purdue University, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and workshops with professional societies such as American Society for Cell Biology and Biophysical Society. Collaborative projects have involved technology transfer agreements with startups incubated at Y Combinator and university spinouts from MIT Technology Licensing Office, as well as partnerships with international repositories like Culture Collection University of Gothenburg and National Collection of Type Cultures.

Intellectual property and distribution policies

ATCC manages material transfer agreements and licensing frameworks respecting patents held by entities such as University of California technology licenses, biotech firms like Amgen, and patent pools associated with WHO initiatives. Distribution policies reflect compliance with international treaties including the Convention on Biological Diversity and national laws such as the Patent Cooperation Treaty procedures when applicable. ATCC negotiates commercial and academic terms with companies including Thermo Fisher Scientific, Qiagen, Illumina, and academic institutions including University of Cambridge and ETH Zurich to balance open scientific access with protection of proprietary rights.

Category:Biological resource centers