Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research

What Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research does

Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research (FNLCR) is a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) operated by Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc. under contract with the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Founded in 1972 and headquartered in Frederick, Maryland, on the NCI at Frederick Campus at Fort Detrick, the laboratory functions as a national scientific resource providing research infrastructure, technical services, and clinical manufacturing capacity to the broader biomedical research community. It employs 1,001-5,000 staff and operates with an annual budget exceeding $200 million per directorate-level disclosures. The laboratory is led by Director Ethan Dmitrovsky and Director of Strategic and Data Science Initiatives Ryan Weil.

The core technology portfolio spans advanced biomedical research infrastructure including cryo-electron microscopy, mass spectrometry, flow cytometry, molecular diagnostics, protein expression, antibody characterization, and nanomedicine characterization. It is organized into research programs (AIDS and Cancer Virus, Basic Science, Bioinformatics and Computational Science, Cancer Research Technology, Laboratory Animal Sciences, and Vaccine/Immunity/Cancer), clinical trial support functions (Biopharmaceutical Development Program for CAR T-cell and vaccine manufacturing, Clinical Monitoring Research Program, Vaccine Clinical Materials Program), and national user facilities (Nanotechnology Characterization Laboratory, National Cryo-EM Facility). FNLCR has characterized 400+ nanotechnology-based concepts with 17 advancing to clinical trials and 3 to marketing authorization, developed 947 antibodies against 571 targets, tested 300,000+ compounds against the NCI 60-cell-line panel, and produced 300+ vaccine shipments supporting ~100 clinical trials across 45 products between 2012-2022.

The business model is government-contract-based rather than commercial: FNLCR receives federal funding through its NCI prime contract and provides at-cost access to specialized capabilities, reagents, and reference materials to the extramural research community. Revenue is not publicly disclosed, consistent with its FFRDC status. Key strategic partners include the National Cancer Institute (parent sponsor), Leidos Biomedical Research (operator), the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) for gene therapy and medicinal chemistry work, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for nanotechnology standards, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for HPV serology standardization, and ASTM International and ISO for protocol harmonization. Scientific output is anchored by initiatives such as the RAS Initiative and the Scientific Standards Hub, which address reproducibility gaps across 8 disciplines.

Name

Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research

Legal name

Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research

Website

https://frederick.cancer.gov

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

The Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research is a Federally Funded Research and Development Center operated by Leidos Biomedical Research under NCI contract, providing advanced biomedical research infrastructure, clinical biomanufacturing, and at-cost scientific services to the extramural cancer and infectious disease research community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biomedical Research Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Medical Laboratories (8071)

akta.pro primary industry

Global Health Research, Clinical Trials & Product Development Partnerships (PDPs) (HLAJAOAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Clinical Operations & Monitoring FSP (CRA/CTM/Start-up) (HLAGAOAA), Health Research Funding Agencies (Public/Quasi-Public) (HLAJALAB)

Keywords

• Cancer research services
• Biomedical research
• Drug discovery
• Clinical trial support
• Scientific reagent production

Headquarters

HQ city

Frederick

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Contract Revenue: FNLCR is operated by Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc. under a contract with the National Cancer Institute. As a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC), the laboratory receives federal government funding to conduct biomedical research and provide scientific services to the research community.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) that provides biomedical research services, advanced technologies, and scientific reagents to the National Cancer Institute and the broader scientific community. Operated by Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc. for the NCI as part of the National Institutes of Health under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Product overview

The Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research is a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) operated by Leidos Biomedical Research Inc. for the National Cancer Institute. The laboratory provides a comprehensive portfolio of research programs (including AIDS and Cancer Virus, Basic Science, Bioinformatics, Cancer Research Technology, Laboratory Animal Sciences, and Vaccine/Immunity research), clinical trial support services (Biopharmaceutical Development, Clinical Monitoring, Vaccine Clinical Materials), national scientific user facilities (Nanotechnology Characterization Laboratory, National Cryo-EM Facility), and technical services (HIV/SIV testing, nanomedicine characterization). The organization also maintains research initiatives such as the RAS Initiative and Scientific Standards Hub, and offers training programs (cGMP, Global Clinical Research Educational Modules) and standardized reference materials for the scientific community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Biomedical Research Services Core research services including advanced biomedical research, drug discovery, and laboratory support provided to NCI, NIH, and collaborating scientific institutions.
• Scientific Reagents and Research Materials Production and distribution of research-grade biological reagents, cell lines, and laboratory materials used by cancer researchers and biomedical scientists.
• Clinical Trials Support Infrastructure and laboratory support services for NCI-sponsored clinical trials and translational research programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• 17 nanotechnology-based concepts advanced to clinical trials from 400+ characterized
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

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

• National Cancer Institute (NCI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary federal sponsor and parent organization. FNLCR operates as a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) under contract with NCI to meet urgent biomedical research needs and serve as a national and global resource.
• Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe operator of Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, providing operational management and support for the FFRDC contract with NCI.
• National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNIH partnership establishing new Gene Therapy Immunology and Standards Laboratory. Collaboration on Medicinal Chemistry Support (NCATS NeXT program) for synthesis of new chemical entities targeting cancer.
• Bill and Melinda Gates FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates with NCI and FNLCR HPV Serology Laboratory on HPV Serology Standardization initiative to address needs for standardized HPV vaccine immunogenicity assessment.
• Hood CollegemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership hosting Life Sciences Symposium. Hood College received NSF grant for biotechnology training program with FNLCR providing industry partnerships and expertise.
• Global Network of National HPV Reference LaboratoriesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational collaboration of experts from 11 countries who compiled the HPV Laboratory e-Manual with FNL scientists.
• U.S. Food and Drug AdministrationmajorTechnology or IntegrationCollaborates with FDA on nanotechnology characterization standards and regulatory review of nanotechnology concepts intended as cancer therapies and diagnostics.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Leidos Biomedical Research: The contractor-operator of FNLCR under the NCI FFRDC contract, providing operational management and scientific staff. Most directly comparable entity given shared operations, mission, and infrastructure.
• Jackson Laboratory (JAX): Independent nonprofit biomedical research institute with similar mission in cancer genetics, mouse modeling, and genomic services. Comparable as a national research resource providing specialized infrastructure and services to the extramural research community.
• Brookhaven National Laboratory: DOE-sponsored national laboratory with similar FFRDC structure, providing specialized scientific user facilities and infrastructure to the research community. Comparable as a federally funded R&D center operating capital-intensive research capabilities.
• Argonne National Laboratory: DOE national laboratory with analogous FFRDC operating model and user facility structure. Comparable as a federally funded research center providing shared scientific infrastructure and large-scale R&D capabilities.
• Los Alamos National Laboratory: DOE national laboratory operated under FFRDC contract by a private contractor (Triad National Security). Highly comparable operating model: government-owned, contractor-operated research facility providing specialized capabilities.
• Oak Ridge National Laboratory: DOE national laboratory with FFRDC-like structure and user facility model. Comparable as a large-scale, federally funded scientific research center providing infrastructure access to external researchers.

Regional players

• MD Anderson Cancer Center: Major U.S. cancer research and treatment institution with comparable cancer research portfolio and translational pipeline. Comparable in mission (cancer research, clinical trials, immunotherapy) but operates as a hospital system rather than an FFRDC.

Others

• National Cancer Institute (NCI): Direct parent/funding organization. NCI is the federal sponsor under whose contract FNLCR operates as an FFRDC, making it the institutional anchor of FNLCR's mission and funding.

Broad incumbents

• Charles River Laboratories: Large CRO offering preclinical research, laboratory animal sciences, and biologics services—directly overlapping with FNLCR's animal sciences, biopharmaceutical development, and preclinical testing capabilities. Comparable in service offerings though commercial.
• IQVIA: Major global CRO providing clinical trial monitoring, laboratory services, and biopharmaceutical development support—directly comparable to FNLCR's Clinical Monitoring Research Program and clinical trial materials services at commercial scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@fredericknationallaboratory
• Facebookfacebook.com/FredNatLab
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/frederick-national-laboratory-for-cancer-research
• Instagraminstagram.com/frednatlab
• Xx.com/FredNatLab

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research