See related information on NIST and the health care industry sector.

Many NIST programs for the chemical industry are part of our Chemical Science and Technology Laboratory. You can always send technical inquiries on NIST chemistry programs to cstlinfo@nist.gov.

Biotechnology

Biotechnology products are proliferating in pharmacies, medical clinics, food shelves, and even in cleaning supplies. NIST technologies help develop, evaluate, and assure the quality of these new products. Here's how.

Biotechnology Division—seeks to advance the commercialization of biotechnology by providing the necessary scientific base, standards, data, and models. Follow the links below to see specific projects.

Center for Advanced Research in Biotechnology—determines three-dimensional structure of proteins; modifies protein structure to improve efficiency of industrial processes; works with industry to narrow the gap between research discoveries and commercial applications.

DNA Technologies—develops standards to verify the accuracy of DNA profiling for forensic and medical testing; provides quality assurance for DNA tests for genetic diseases.

Bioprocess Engineering—identifies properties of biomolecules and biomaterials used for industrial processes, such as biocatalysis, bioprocessing, and biochemical separation technologies; develops technologies to improve efficiency of biochemical processes used in manufacturing.

Biomolecular Materials—investigates properties of industrially important biomolecular materials for potential use in biosensors, bioelectronics, biocatalytic systems, and diagnostic devices.

Lab-on-a-Chip—develops and evaluates microfluidic devices for use as microanalytical diagnostic and sensing devices; seeking industrial and academic collaborators.

Protein Data Bank—an international data bank of three-dimensional structural data for proteins and other biological macromolecules; freely available to researchers worldwide.

Biotechnology Web Resources—Here's a collection of links including the Protein Data Bank and three other NIST biotechnology databases on crystallization, short tandem repeat DNA markers, and thermodynamics of enzyme-catalyzed reactions.

PPL Therapeutics of Blacksburg, Va., won a 1999 NIST Advanced Technology Program grant to attempt to clone pigs that could supply organs and tissue for human transplants. On March 5, 2000, the world's first successfully cloned piglets were born as a result of this project.

Amersham Pharmacia Biotech of Cleveland, Ohio, won a NIST Advanced Technology Program grant to develop enzymes that make biomedical research and diagnostics more efficient. Read more.

BioTraces, Inc. of Fairfax, Va., used a NIST Advanced Technology Program award to successfully develop an ultrasensitive radioanalytical technology that can detect and measure very low concentrations of biological substances. Read more.

NIST Center for Neutron Research -- provides the only U.S. cold neutron capabilities for nanoscale probing of biological and biomimetic systems. In cooperation with universities and industry, we investigate key structure and dynamics of biomaterials important in drub design, stability, and delivery, food storage, biosensors, and DNA sequencing. Contact: Patrick Gallagher, (301) 975-6210.

Clinical Measurement Standards

Numerous diagnostic tests are helping doctors fight cancer, heart disease, and many other conditions. We provide measurement standards to assure the accuracy of many clinical tests. The links below describe some of our measurement standards to assure accuracy in clinical labs.

Medical-Industrial Radiation Facility -- available for use by medical instrument and dosimetry system developers to design and test products which help assure the accuracy of radiation measurements in medical clinics. Contact: Stephen Seltzer, (301) 975-5552.

Mammographic X-Ray Standards -- we calibrate inspection and testing devices used to make sure the optimum x-ray dose is used in breast cancer screening tests. This helps improve image quality and reduces the need to repeat tests. Contact: Michelle O'Brien, (301) 975-2014.

Radiopharmaceutical Measurement Assurance Program -- run cooperatively by NIST and the Nuclear Energy Institute, this quality assurance program ties the accuracy of radiopharmaceuticals used in nuclear medicine directly to national standards. Contact: Daniel Golas, (301) 975-5540.

Clinical Standard Reference Materials—here's a list of currently available NIST measurement reference standards for clinical labs.

See the NIST Standard Reference Materials Program catalog for a listing of all NIST SRMs.

You can find more details plus documents and reports on the NIST Analytical Chemistry Division home page.

Environmental Measurement Standards

NIST research helps industry, researchers, and government regulators reduce environmental pollution, while saving industry money on remediation efforts. Labs use our measurement standards and tools to validate the accuracy of their environmental measurements.

Organic Constituent Standard Reference Materials—here's a list of currently available NIST measurement reference standards for measuring organics, both liquid and solid, in a variety of forms.

Natural Matrix Standard Reference Materials—here's a list of currently available NIST measurement reference standards for measuring radioactive elements in sediments, soils, and biological tissues.

More Natural Matrix Standard Reference Materials—this list is of currently available NIST Standard Reference Materials for measuring metals in water, sediment, particulates, dust, soil, and sludge.

Radiochemistry -- develops measurement assurance tools and Standard Reference Materials to improve the accuracy of measurements of radioactivity in soils, sediments, and tissues. Contact: Kenneth Inn, (301) 975-5541.

Fourier-Transform Microwave Spectroscopy -- investigating and adapting a very sensitive spectrometer to identify and quantify pollutants in automobile exhaust, factory emissions, and process streams. Contact: Angela Hight-Walker, (301) 975-2155.

NIST Databases also help assure accuracy with environmental measurements. Our Quantitative Infrared Database helps industry and environmental regulators measure air pollutants with great accuracy.

NIST Traceable Reference Materials—In order to better meet the growing demand for environment air pollutant testing, NIST developed NTRMs, or NIST Traceable Reference Materials. Produced commercially with NIST guidance and monitoring, these gas standards enable accurate testing of industrial and automotive emissions.

Here's a list of NIST Traceable Reference Material suppliers.

See the NIST Standard Reference Materials Program catalog for a listing of all NIST SRMs.

You can find more details plus documents and reports on the NIST Analytical Chemistry Division home page.

Food Analysis

They say you are what you eat. But what, exactly, are we eating? NIST measurement tools are helping food producers and regulators better measure the nutrients, vitamins, chemicals, fats, carbohydrates, and proteins in our foods. The links below show food-related measurement reference standards.

Trace elements in foods—here's a listing of NIST Standard Reference Materials for measuring trace elements in various foods.

Nutrients in Foods—here's a listing of NIST Standard Reference Materials for measuring nutritional constituents, such as fat, carbohydrate, protein, and calories in foods.

More Nutrients in Foods—here's a listing of NIST Standard Reference Materials for measuring cholesterol, triglycerides, trace elements, and other nutrients in foods.

See the NIST Standard Reference Materials Program catalog for a listing of all NIST SRMs.

You can find more details plus documents and reports on the NIST Analytical Chemistry Division home page.

Sensors

The accuracy of industrial sensors is a key to the quality of many manufactured products, especially those made with complex chemical processes. As part of our mission to assist industry, we are working on new sensor technologies to detect multiple substances, even very tiny amounts, with very high accuracy. Here are some examples.

Microhotplate Chemical Sensing—developing technologies for next-generation chemical measurements with solid state devices; developing microhotplate devices to detect and quantify gases.

Lab-on-a-Chip—develops and evaluates microfluidic devices for use as microanalytical diagnostic and sensing devices; seeking industrial and academic collaborators.

DNA Self-Assembled Monolayer Sensors—characterizing properties of DNA monolayers in order to help develop their potential as rapid and inexpensive industrial sensors.

Adapting Biomolecules for Sensors—developing strategies to incorporate biomolecules into structures that can form the basis of analytical sensors.

Genetically Engineered Pores as Sensors—exploring the use of a genetically-engineered versions of a pore-forming protein to serve as rationally- designed sensor components.

Physical and Chemical Properties

Engineers must consider scores of chemical properties and scads of data when designing new products or processes. Since it's not practical for individual companies to calculate all the data and properties they need, we do it. Below are some links to our databases and chemical properties research.

Physical and Chemical Properties Division -- provides thermophysical and thermochemical properties of gases, liquids, and solids, both pure materials and mixtures; the rates and mechanisms of chemical reactions in the gas and liquid phases; plus models, measurements and standards for fluid-based physical processes and systems, including refrigeration. Contact: Gregory Rosasco, (301) 975-2483.

The NIST Chemistry WebBook provides users with easy access to chemical and physical property data for chemical species through the internet. You can search by name, formula, author, or structure, and retrieve phase, reaction, spectral, thermophysical, and many other properties.

NIST Standard Reference Data Program -- provides evaluated data for scientists and engineers in many disciplines, including analytical chemistry, atomic and molecular physics, biotechnology, chemical and crystal data structure, chemical kinetics, industrial fluids, chemical engineering, thermochemical data, materials properties, surface data, and imaging data. This site provides other useful links to evaluated data. Phone: (301) 975-2008.

Physical Reference Data—look up physical constants, atomic and molecular data, ionization, x-ray, and gamma ray data, nuclear physics data, and condensed matter physics data. This page also has links to other online NIST reference databases.

Membrane Science and Technology Project—Since membranes are being used more and more for separations, synthesis, and even as sensors, we're trying to improve the science and engineering base of membrane technology. This site gives a polymer transport property database, filtration tutorials, and other useful links.

Computational Chemistry Comparison and Benchmark Database—this database contains computational thermochemical data for a selected set of about 600 gas-phase molecules and tools for comparing experimental and computational thermochemical properties in the database.

Chemical Kinetics Database -- a compilation of kinetics data on gas- phase reactions; searchable by specific reactants, or for reactions resulting in specific products, or for all reactions of a particular species, or for combinations of these. Available free online. Contact: Robert Huie, (301) 975-2559.

Atomic and Molecular Physics Databases -- this page provides links to our free online databases as well as information about ones we sell. These collections of atomic energy levels, transition probabilities, and collision data are widely used for characterizing and modelling all types of gaseous systems, including plasmas, planetary atmospheres, and astrophysical media, and for nuclear medicine. Contact: Standard Reference Data Program, (301) 975-2008.

Molecular Energy Levels -- describes a NIST publication and database on vibrational and electronic energy levels for chemists and engineers; both contain critical evaluation and summary of experimentally determined vibrational fundamentals and electronic band origins of more than 2,000 small transient molecules. Contact: Marilyn Jacox, (301) 975-2547.

SickList Database—this database contains known problems in using a particular computational method with a particular molecule, plus a solution to the problem, if known.

Temperature and other basic units

NIST is responsible for maintaining standards for the basic units of measure in the International System of Units, the modern metric system. Many industries rely on NIST for these standards. The links below give more details.

The NIST Thermometry Group provides U.S. industry with national standards for measuring temperature and conducts research on temperature scales and standards. Contact: Dean Ripple, (301) 975-4801.

The NIST Fluid Flow Group maintains and disseminates standards needed by U.S. industry for fluid flow rates, including liquid flow rates and air speed measurements.

The NIST Pressure and Vacuum Group provides standards and calibrations for pressure and vacuum gages.

Radiance Temperature Laboratory -- establishes, maintains, and disseminates the U.S. National Scale of Radiance Temperature; our group is responsible for temperature measurements above the freezing point of silver (1234.93 K). Contact: Charles Gibson, (301) 975-2329.

Radioactivity Group -- develops, maintains, and disseminates radioactivity standards; develops and applies radioactivity measurement techniques; and conducts research on radionuclide metrology to meet future needs. Contact: Lisa Karam, (301) 975-5561.

Here's a NIST reference on the International System of Units. Look here for definitions of all the SI units, unit conversions, and a bibliography of online publications on the International System of Units.

Manufacturing

NIST's Manufacturing Extension Partnership, a nationwide network of assistance centers for small manufacturers in all 50 states and Puerto Rico, offers experts to consult with small to mid-size manufacturing firms. Since 1988, the MEP has assisted more than 100,000 firms, including chemical processors and manufacturers.

For example, Membrane Technology and Research of Menlo Park, Calif., makes membrane separation systems for the chemical, petrochemical, and the pharmaceutical industries. The company consulted with MEP's Corporation for Manufacturing Excellence for advice on expanding its operation. As a result, the company saw improvements in both production and revenue.

CDI Seals, Inc. of Humble, Texas, processes rubber and plastic materials into specialty seals for oil, food, chemical, and semiconductor producers. With help from the Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center, CDI boosted productivity substantially. Read more.

Another company, Chem-Pak, Inc. of Winchester, Va., consulted with the Virginia A.L. Philpott Manufacturing Extension Partnership on modernizing its plant and expanding its market. Chem-Pak, a packager of industrial chemical and aerosol products, generated enough new revenue to move forward with expansion.

Materials

Materials Science and Engineering Laboratory -- works to support industrial development of new advanced materials which could improve many U.S. products and services; offers expertise in ceramics, polymers, metallurgy, neutron characterization, and materials reliability to improve measurements, standards, models, and data for materials research and development. Contact: Leslie Smith, (301) 975-5658.

NIST Center for Neutron Research -- carries out broad research with universities and industry applying state-of-the-art neutron methods to study the structure of new materials for chemical catalysis and separation, and the nanoscale behavior of molecules and macromolecules under conditions that can predict better paths for chemical processing. Contact: Patrick Gallagher, (301) 975-6210.

Other Resources

NIST outreach programs work directly with business and industry to boost U.S. economic competitiveness. Many aerospace companies and parts suppliers have benefitted by taking advantage of these programs.

NIST's Advanced Technology Program spurs innovation in U.S. industry by co-funding high-risk, high-payoff projects with private industry.

Smaller manufacturers face many challenges in our technology-driven environment. To help meet these challenges, NIST started the Manufacturing Extension Partnership program in 1988. This nationwide network of centers, now in all 50 states, has assisted more than 100,000 U.S. firms, including chemical processing companies.

The Baldrige National Quality Program recognizes performance excellence and quality achievement by U.S. manufacturers, service companies, educational organizations, and health-care providers. Chemical firms have been competing for the Baldrige Award since it was established in 1988. In 1993, Eastman Chemical Company was named a Baldrige Award winner.

Organizations that apply for the Baldrige Award must address seven key criteria: leadership, strategic planning, customer and market focus, information and analysis, human resource focus, process management, and results. Each applicant receives a feedback report citing strengths and opportunities for improvement. Award recipients and applicants alike say the application process can yield significant process improvements and is good for the bottom line. In fact, a fictitious 'Baldrige Index' made up of winning company stock has consistently outperformed the Standard & Poor's 500 Index. And thousands of other companies have used the Criteria for Performance Excellence to assess and improve their overall performance.