National Disease Research Interchange

What National Disease Research Interchange does

National Disease Research Interchange (NDRI) is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization founded in 1980 that provides human biospecimens to the biomedical research community. Originally launched as the National Diabetes Research Interchange, the organization expanded its mission in 1986 to serve over 80 different diseases and now operates as a national tissue procurement and distribution platform. Headquartered in Philadelphia, PA, NDRI recovers and distributes human organs, tissues, and biofluids through a nationwide network of more than 130 tissue source sites consisting of organ procurement organizations, tissue banks, eye banks, hospitals, and recovery specialists. The organization's specialized capabilities include low post-mortem interval organ procurement (<6 hours), customized post-mortem tissue procurement (<24 hours), ocular tissue procurement, and surgical discard tissue procurement (<4 hours post-surgery), with preservation in fresh, frozen, and fixed formats including FFPE blocks.

NDRI's core technical platform is the NIH-funded Human Tissues and Organs for Research Resource (HTORR) program, continuously funded since 1987, supported further by the dGTEx ($12M, 2021) and SMaHT Network ($14.4M, 2023) federal grants. The organization maintains a CAP-accredited on-site biorepository holding rare disease specimens including HIV, glioblastoma, cystic fibrosis, Alzheimer's brains, ocular tissues, and LAM-TR samples. Approximately 1,000 investigator protocols are active at any time, and an average of 150 scientific publications per year cite NDRI-sourced tissue, demonstrating embedded adoption in peer-reviewed research.

The business model combines NIH grant funding (the largest revenue stream, renewed continuously for 35+ years), transactional biospecimen service fees charged to researchers, corporate partnership fees from pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies (with priority service, reduced fees, and milestone payment structures for large-scale engagements), and foundation support from disease-specific advocacy organizations such as the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, The LAM Foundation, and Bay Area Lyme Foundation. Customer segments span academic research centers, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, medical device and cell therapy manufacturers, the Department of Defense and federal agencies, and disease-focused foundations. Go-to-market is consultative and sales-led: researchers submit a Feasibility Application reviewed by NDRI's Feasibility Committee, while corporate clients are engaged through a dedicated Strategic Initiatives function with milestone-based enterprise contracts.

Name

National Disease Research Interchange

Legal name

National Disease Research Interchange

Website

https://ndriresource.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

National Disease Research Interchange (NDRI) is a Philadelphia-based, NIH-funded 501(c)(3) nonprofit that procures and distributes human biospecimens from a nationwide network of 130+ tissue source sites to academic researchers, pharmaceutical companies, and federal agencies for biomedical research.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biospecimen Procurement Services

NAICS

Medical Laboratories (621511), Blood and Organ Banks (621991), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Services-Medical Laboratories (8071)

akta.pro primary industry

Sample Logistics, Biorepository & IVD Kit Management (Trial Support) (HLAGAEAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Medical & Clinical Specimen Frozen Storage (Labs, Biobanks) (TLALACAE), Clinical Trial Sample Collection & Site Phlebotomy Services (HLAGACAJ)

Keywords

• Human biospecimen procurement
• Tissue procurement services
• Biorepository services
• Biomedical research specimens
• Organ recovery services

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Biospecimen Service Fees: Fees charged to researchers for tissue procurement, processing, preservation, and distribution services. Although individuals or next-of-kin freely donate tissues for research use, fees are necessary to support the infrastructure for matching samples with researchers and for procurement, processing, and shipping.
2. NIH Grant Funding: Major funding from National Institutes of Health including HTORR (Human Tissues and Organs for Research Resource) program continuously funded for over 35 years, dGTEx project grant, SMaHT Network grant, and various supplemental grants from NIH institutes.
3. Corporate Partnership Fees: Pharmaceutical and biotech companies pay for customized biospecimen procurement services through Partnership Program with priority service, reduced fees, and milestone payment structures for large-scale projects.
4. Foundation Support: Funding from patient advocacy groups and foundations including Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, The LAM Foundation, Bay Area Lyme Foundation for disease-specific tissue collection programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

NDRI provides project-driven human biospecimen procurement, processing, preservation, and distribution services to academic and corporate researchers. Through the NIH-funded HTORR program and a nationwide network of 130+ tissue source sites, it delivers diseased and non-diseased tissues in fresh, frozen, and fixed formats with low post-mortem interval organ procurement (<6hr) and customized tissue procurement (<24hr). The organization also operates a CAP-accredited biorepository holding rare disease specimens such as HIV, glioblastoma, cystic fibrosis, Alzheimer's disease brains, ocular slides, and LAM-TR tissues, and runs large NIH initiatives including dGTEx, SMaHT, and the National Hearing and Balance Organ Donor Program.

Product overview

NDRI provides a comprehensive human biospecimen procurement and distribution service to academic and corporate researchers. The core offering is project-driven tissue procurement through the NIH-funded HTORR program, complemented by a CAP-accredited biorepository maintaining rare disease specimens (Bioinventory). NDRI offers specialized procurement services including low post-mortem interval organ procurement (<6hr), customized post-mortem tissue procurement (<24hr), ocular tissue procurement, and surgical discard tissue procurement. Additional services include histopathology verification, a Pilot Award Program providing biospecimens to early-stage investigators, and a Corporate Partnership Program for large-scale pharmaceutical and biotech clients. The organization operates through a nationwide network of 130+ tissue source sites and provides 24/7 distribution with fresh, frozen, and fixed preservation formats.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HTORR: Human Tissues and Organs for Research Resource program funded by NIH for over 35 years.
• dGTEx
• SMaHT
• National Hearing and Balance Organ Donor Program

Products and services

• Human Tissues and Organs for Research Resource (HTORR) NIH-funded core program providing normal and diseased human biospecimens with project-specific procurement, processing, preservation, and distribution protocols for academic researchers.
• Bioinventory Pre-maintained CAP-accredited biorepositories of rare disease specimens including HIV, glioblastoma, cystic fibrosis, Alzheimer's disease brains, ocular slides, and LAM-TR tissues available to approved researchers.
• Low Post-Mortem Interval Organ Procurement Procurement of whole organs (heart, liver, lung, pancreas, intestine, bladder) including dorsal root ganglia with post-mortem interval under 6 hours for medical researchers.
• Customized Post-Mortem Tissue Procurement Procurement of brain, spinal cord, stomach, nerves, vessels, bone, full-thickness skin, uterus, and muscle samples with post-mortem interval under 24 hours, customized to experimental requirements.
• Ocular Tissue Procurement Procurement of whole globes, corneas, posterior poles, and ocular fluids for vision and ophthalmology research.
• Surgical Discard Tissue Procurement Procurement of resected tumors, full-thickness skin, umbilical cord, and placenta from surgical procedures with post-surgical interval under 4 hours.
• Histopathology Services Tissue-type and disease-type histopathological verification of samples provided through the HTORR program to confirm specimen characterization.
• Pilot Award Program NIH-supported awards providing up to 10 biological samples per investigator over 2 years for early-stage or transitioning researchers.
• Feasibility Application Initial application process for researchers to request biospecimens, reviewed by NDRI's Feasibility Committee for public health relevance and feasibility.
• Corporate Partnership Program Customized biospecimen procurement services for pharmaceutical and biotechnology partners with priority service, reduced fees, customized sample requirements, and milestone payment structures for large-scale projects.
• Private Donor Program Registration program for individuals and families to donate organs and tissues for research after death or during surgery.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 40 years of experience providing human biospecimens to researchers
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature9 records

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• National Institutes of Health (NIH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNIH has supported NDRI for over 35 consecutive years through the HTORR (Human Tissues and Organs for Research Resource) program and multiple other grants including dGTEx and SMaHT. NIH institutes providing support include NIAID, NHLBI, NEI, NIDDK, NIAMS, NICHD, NIMH, NINDS, and NIA.
• Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology CompaniescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNDRI partners with pharmaceutical and biotech companies for customized biospecimen procurement supporting drug discovery, target identification, and validation. Partnership Program offers priority service, reduced fees, and milestone payment structures.
• Children's Hospital of PhiladelphiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBPC (Biospecimen Procurement Center) partner for dGTEx project, providing pediatric tissue recovery, research, pathology, imaging, and biobanking expertise.
• University of Maryland School of MedicinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBPC partner for dGTEx and TPC partner for SMaHT Network, collaborating on pediatric recoveries and tissue procurement across body systems.
• Johns Hopkins All Children's HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBPC partner for dGTEx and TPC partner for SMaHT Network, contributing pediatric recovery and biobanking capabilities.
• Broad InstitutecoreTechnology or IntegrationLDACC (Laboratory Data Analysis Coordinating Center) partner for dGTEx, providing genomic data analysis capabilities.
• Yale School of MedicinecoreTechnology or IntegrationLDACC partner for dGTEx, contributing data analysis coordination for the developmental GTEx project.
• Cystic Fibrosis FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince 2004, CF Foundation has funded NDRI to provide reliable source of human tissues from CF donors to facilitate research and drug development, including support for Vertex Pharmaceuticals' FDA-approved Kalydeco.
• The LAM FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative initiative for collecting surgical tissue samples and detailed information from LAM patients to accelerate research efforts related to this rare lung disease.
• Bay Area Lyme FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to build system for collecting and biobanking biospecimens from donors with Lyme disease for use by the Lyme disease research community.
• Gift of Life Donor ProgramcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor35+ year partnership with the nation's leading organ procurement organization. Gift of Life Donor Program coordinates organ and tissue donations that NDRI uses for research purposes.
• LifeGiftcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOPO partner that works with NDRI to further mission of offering hope and facilitating organ and tissue donation for research.
• Washington Regional Transplant CommunitycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOPO partner awarded NDRI's 2022 Empowering Research and Discovery Award for partnership in tissue source site management.
• Washington UniversitymajorTechnology or IntegrationOrganizational Center (OC) for SMaHT Network, coordinating the comprehensive public resource for analyzing somatic mosaicism.
• Harvard UniversitymajorTechnology or IntegrationData Analysis Center (DAC) for SMaHT Network, supporting analysis of genetic variation in human tissues.
• Veterans Affairs Biorepository Brain BankmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNDRI helps VA Brain Bank obtain ALS biospecimen samples to build its tissue bank for future scientific studies.
• National ALS Biorepository (ATSDR)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNDRI contracted by McKing Consulting to participate in study exploring methods for collecting and banking brain tissues from patients in the National ALS Registry.
• Joslin Medalist ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting Type 1 diabetes research through the Joslin Medalist Program for insulin-free survivors.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights8 records

Direct peers

• BioIVT: BioIVT is a commercial biospecimen provider offering human tissue, plasma, and serum for research and drug development. Directly comparable to NDRI's project-driven procurement model but operates on a for-profit catalog basis rather than NIH-grant-funded nonprofit model.
• Coriell Institute for Medical Research: Coriell is a nonprofit biomedical research institute operating NIGMS-funded biorepositories (including the NINDS Human Genetics Cell Repository) — closest peer to NDRI by mission (federally-supported nonprofit biorepository serving the research community) and institutional structure.
• LifeNet Health: LifeNet Health is a nonprofit organ procurement and tissue banking organization providing allograft and biospecimen services. Directly comparable as a nonprofit tissue recovery and distribution operator with similar regulatory profile (FDA, AATB) and donor consent infrastructure.
• Cureline: Cureline is a global human biospecimen CRO providing project-driven procurement of diseased and normal tissues for pharma/biotech research — directly comparable service offering and customer base, though operating as a for-profit commercial entity.
• Conversant Bio (Fujifilm): Conversant Bio (acquired by Fujifilm) is a biospecimen procurement provider specializing in hematologic malignancies and matched sample sets — overlaps directly with NDRI's cancer and rare-disease tissue procurement services for pharma/biotech.
• Folio Biosciences: Folio Biosciences (formerly Conversant Bio Folio) is a commercial biorepository offering FFPE, fresh frozen, and biofluids for oncology and other research — directly comparable in service category and customer base to NDRI's Bioinventory program.

Emerging players

• iSpecimen: iSpecimen operates a biospecimen marketplace connecting researchers with provider networks via a digital platform. Represents an emerging channel model competing with NDRI's traditional committee-driven procurement flow, particularly for corporate pharma buyers seeking on-demand access.

Broad incumbents

• ATCC (American Type Culture Collection): ATCC is a global nonprofit biological resource center providing authenticated cell lines, microorganisms, and biomaterials. Broader incumbent in the biorepository space — overlapping with NDRI on research sample provision but centered on cell lines and in vitro models rather than primary human tissue.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ndri_resource
• Facebookfacebook.com/NDRIResource
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-disease-research-interchange
• Instagraminstagram.com/ndri_resource

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about National Disease Research Interchange