Coronavirus (COVID-19)-related research reagents available from the NIBSC
The NIBSC provides a wide range of biological reference materials and reagents, including WHO international standards, influenza reagents, Quality Control Reagents Unit (QCRU) reagents and other CE-marked IVD reagents.
Biological medicines and vaccines are usually very complex materials. In order to ensure that these products are both safe and effective it is necessary to thoroughly evaluate their quality and biological activity. Each batch is examined and approved, independently from the manufacturers, and issued with a certificate before being released onto the market.
Biological substances used in healthcare include bacterial and viral vaccines against diseases such as:
diphtheria
whooping-cough
meningitis
poliomyelitis
influenza
hepatitis
measles
mumps
rubella
They also include therapeutic products derived from human blood such as clotting factors and immunoglobulins, as well as other products such as monoclonal antibodies, hormones, cytokines and growth factors.