Biological Testing Branch (BTB)

Introduction:

The Biological Testing Branch (BTB) of the Developmental Therapeutics Program (DTP), Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis (DCTD), National Cancer Institute (NCI) operates out of the National Cancer Institute at Frederick providing budgetary oversight and technical direction for an extensive contractual effort designed to discover chemotherapeutic agents for cancer. Specifically, BTB’s mission is five-fold:

• To develop and maintain a repository of Patient-Derived Models (PDMs) comprised of patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) and in vitro patient-derived cell cultures (PDCs), including mixed cell populations, clonal cell lines, and fibroblast cell lines;
• To maintain a repository of experimental animal and human tumor cell lines for use in research performed by the Program and other qualified investigators;
• To plan, direct and implement a contract-supported program to screen compounds for indications of in vivo preclinical efficacy including single agent and combination therapies;
• To provide in vivo resources for preclinical pharmacologic and pharmacodynamic studies in support of drug development;
• To develop new screening models.

BTB Contact Information

Biological Testing Branch
DTP, DCTD, NCI
P.O. Box B, Bldg 1066, Room 101B
Frederick, MD 21702
Telephone: 301-846-5608
Fax: 301-846-6183