An official website of the United States government Here’s how you know Menu HEALTH Overview NIST provides measurement assurance for biomedical stakeholders through the development of measurement tools for medical devices, clinical diagnostics, imaging tools and the characterization of complex biotherapeutics. Health Topics Clinical diagnostics Dentistry Food & nutrition Medical imaging Pharmaceuticals Precision medicine Regenerative medicine Key Accomplishments Face coverings: In an effort to improve the fabric masks that people wear to slow the spread of COVID-19, NIST scientists have measured how well various fabrics filter out aerosols that might contain the virus. This research contributed to standards for fabric face masks that will give people information on how well their masks work. Biopharmaceuticals: The NIST Monoclonal Antibody reference material is an intensively analyzed protein of over 20,000 atoms that researchers and manufacturers use when developing vaccines and treatments for cancer and other diseases. Also called the NISTmAb, this material promotes innovation in the biopharmaceutical industry and helps ensure the quality and safety of our drug supply. Nutrition labeling: To help ensure the accuracy of nutrition labels, NIST manufactures over 30 food-based reference materials, including infant formula, baking chocolate, spinach and food oils. Labs use these reference materials to calibrate their instruments for measuring the carbohydrates, proteins, calories and other values listed on nutrition labels. MRI calibration: The NIST phantom helps ensure that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines produce accurate results. Also called the “phannie,” this plastic sphere is about the size of a person’s head and contains contrast-enhancing agents and other materials that aid in calibrating MRI instruments. The Research PROJECTS & PROGRAMS Genome in a Bottle ONGOING Consortium hosted by NIST and JIMB dedicated to authoritative characterization of benchmark human genomes. Sign up for General GIAB and Analysis Team email Measurement Science of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) ONGOING Researchers at the National Institute of Standards & Technology are creating reference materials and data resources to address the per- and polyfluoroalkyl Cell-based Assay for Mechanistically-based Prediction of Cytoxicity ONGOING The most commonly used cell-based assays for measuring cytotoxicity often show poor reproducibility, require 24 h to complete, and rely on a nonspecific Consistency Analysis and Uncertainty in ‘omic Data ONGOING As ‘omics moves into industrial and commercial applications, there is a need for quality and process control to ensure safety and efficacy of products and View All Projects/Programs ADDITIONAL RESOURCES LINKS Publications News Developing an Exposure Notification System to Blunt the Spread of COVID-19 and Future Pandemics I am part of a grassroots effort at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) that is developing an exposure notification system for pandemics in general, though we hope it could be used in at least a limited fashion during the current COVID-19 pandemic. We are fortunate at NIST to have all the expertise required to tackle this multidisciplinary problem, solutions to which have the Read more Streamlined NIST Tool Could Help Homeowners, Renters Reduce Airborne Exposure to COVID Read more Spotlight: Harvesting What's Under the Sea for the Dietary Supplement Industry and Environmental Conservation Read more New NIST Reference Material Helps Manufacturers Better Assess Their Biological Drug Products Read more View All News and Updates Stay in Touch Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date with the latest research, trends, and news for Health. HEADQUARTERS 100 Bureau Drive Gaithersburg, MD 20899 301-975-2000 Webmaster(link sends email) | Contact Us | Our Other Offices How are we doing? Feedback Site Privacy Accessibility Privacy Program Copyrights Vulnerability Disclosure No Fear Act Policy FOIA Environmental Policy Scientific Integrity Information Quality Standards Commerce.gov Science.gov USA.gov Vote.gov