NCTR: The First 50 Years
On August 11, 2021, past and present NCTR leaders and employees—along with FDA leaders—celebrated “NCTR: The First 50 Years.” Since being established in 1971 by President Nixon, NCTR has become an internationally recognized research center and plays a critical role in FDA’s mission. The unique scientific expertise of NCTR’s staff is critical in supporting FDA product centers and their regulatory roles.
NCTR 50th Anniversary Celebration
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Full live-streamed ceremony on August 11, 2021 |
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Remarks from FDA Leadership and Memorandum-of-Understanding signing between FDA and the State of Arkansas
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| Remarks and Memorandum-of-Understanding signing between FDA and the State of Arkansas Arkansas Governor, Asa Hutchinson |
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| Remarks by current and former NCTR Center Directors (Click the Center Director name below to see individual video.)
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| Remarks and presentation of plaque by Chief Scientist Officer, Commission Corp, United States Public Health Service Captain John Eckert, Ph.D., CIP |
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Signing of Partnership Intermediary Agreement between NCTR and Arkansas Research Alliance (ARA) (L to R) Dr. William Slikker, Jr., Director, NCTR and Jerry Adams, President, ARA (Photo courtesy of ARA) |
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U.S. Congressman Bruce Westerman delivers remarks at NCTR's 50th Anniversary Celebration (Photo courtesy of ARA)
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Lawmakers Praise Research Facility (arkansasonline.com) |
Most Impactful NCTR Accomplishments — First 50 Years
Take a look back with us as we reflect on some of NCTR's most impactful accomplishments in its first 50 years:
- Addressed 1) mechanisms of toxicity of chemicals/pharmaceutical drugs, 2) risks of chemical/microbial food contamination, and 3) biomarkers for biological/chemical exposure.
- Received (first FDA laboratory) and have continuously maintained accreditation from the American Association for Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care for laboratory animal facilities and practices.
- Defined the metabolic pathways and target tissues for several known and probable human carcinogens using comparative in vitro and in vivo studies.
- Established interagency agreement with NIEHS to fund NCTR testing of FDA-nominated agents.
- Assisted Office of Regulatory Affairs to co-locate the Arkansas Regional Laboratory on the NCTR campus, thus creating Jefferson Laboratories.
- Determined the effect of topical glycolic/salicylic acid on the carcinogenicity of sunlight.
- Detected antibiotic-resistance markers in diverse bacteria using microarray methods.
- Developed ArrayTrack bioinformatic tool to store, analyze, and interpret microarray data, which is now being extended to protein and metabolite data for systems biology questions.
- Established, in collaboration with FDA colleagues, both in vivo and in vitro models to assess the consequences of exposure to commonly used anesthetics on brain development.
- Developed, in collaboration with CDER, the in-silico tool—FDALabel—to assist reviewers in finding and analyzing drug-label information from tens of thousands of drugs.
- Developed a decision-tree adopted by WHO and incorporated into the Veterinary International Conference on Harmonization Guidance #36 and the FDA/CVM Guidance for Industry #159 to evaluate the impact of veterinary drugs on human-food safety.
- Established an NCTR/FDA Bioimaging Facility including capability for MRI, CT, and PET to provide minimally invasive biomarkers of toxicity and enhance clinically translatable safety assessment.
- Developed the FDA Perinatal Health Center of Excellence to advance knowledge concerning the impact of FDA-regulated products during the perinatal period, including pregnancy.
- Established the Global Coalition for Regulatory Science Research and the annual Global Summit on Regulatory Science to enhance world-wide cooperation to improve public health.
- Developing/conducting 30+ COVID-19 studies and publishing peer-reviewed manuscripts.