BIOLOGICAL TESTING FACILITY – IN VITRO METABOLIC AND IN VIVO PRECLINICAL STUDIES

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Within Division of Intramural Population Health Research at NICHD, the Contraceptive Development Program (CDP) supports research to develop potential contraceptive compounds that can disrupt normal ovulation, sperm production or sperm function for the purpose of developing safe, effective, and affordable contraceptives for women or men. The Biological Testing Facility (BTF) is designed to allow rapid evaluation of new chemical entities (NCE), drug formulations, delivery systems, and devices for contraceptive and endocrine activity. The BTF provides overall project management and the capabilities to support all phases of preclinical activities pursuant to development of new contraceptive methods: these include, but are not limited to in vitro assays and in vivo studies, plasma and microsomal stability studies, absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and toxicity (ADMET), pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) profiling, animal activities and studies, manufacture of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), process and product development, formulation, clinical lot production, preclinical enabling studies and associated tasks leading to the filing of investigational new drug (IND) applications. Compounds formulated by the BTF are prepared under current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) to allow clinical evaluation in the CDP Contraceptive Clinical Trials Network (CCTN). The CCTN investigators have develop protocols to evaluate the drug candidates identified as high priority by the Program. The BTF has been working with the CORs for the Chemical Synthesis Facility and the CCTN and with the investigators in the CCTN to develop and test the appropriate formulations for clinical batches of the candidate compounds. The next clinical study for each candidate drug is dependent on timely receipt of clinical batches to begin the process of recruitment and enrollment. Drugs that are currently in ongoing clinical trials require stability testing of the clinical formulations. The Biological Testing Facility plays a critical role in the drug development mission of the CDP.