U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Standards

Reference materials

Projects/Programs

Displaying 51 - 75 of 131

Genome in a Bottle Workshops

Ongoing
GIAB has held 1-2 workshops each year since being formed in 2012. These workshops include progress updates, presentations about related work, and planning for new samples and analyses. Following are links to agendas, reports, and presentations from past workshops. Workshop Reports APRIL 2020
13 tubes each containing an individual glycan in SRM 3655

Glycan Standard Reference Materials

Ongoing
Now Available A glycan-based NIST Standard Reference Material ( SRM 3655 Glycans in Solution) supports the biomanufacturing and protein therapeutics communities with a set of 13 individually-bottled, pure glycoforms including those most commonly observed as N-linked glycans on therapeutic monoclonal
Picture for Hardness and Coating Thickness Standardization and Measurements Project Including Equipment and Standards Organizations

Hardness Standardization and Measurements

Ongoing
DESCRIPTION Purpose: Provide measurement traceability for the Knoop, Rockwell, and Vickers hardness scales and for coating thickness measurements that are based on magnetic methods. Goals: Harmonization of hardness and coating thickness testing protocols, in pursuit of reduction of measurement
Circle with the logo of Health Assessment Measurements Quality Assurance Program initials

Health Assessment Measurements Quality Assurance Program (HAMQAP)

Completed
Participants in the HAMQAP measured concentrations of nutritional and toxic elements, fat- and water-soluble vitamins, fatty acids, active and/or marker compounds, and contaminants in samples distributed by NIST.   Samples that represent human intake (e.g., foods, dietary supplements, tobacco) were
Illustration with a stylized representation of an atom with electron orbits superimposed on a colorful periodic table of the elements.

High-Precision Isotopic Reference Materials

Ongoing
A new generation of multi-collector IRMS, utilizing both inductively coupled plasma and thermal ionization sample sources, is now capable of measuring isotope ratios with extremely high precision – a few parts in 10 6. This new measurement capability has caused a minor revolution in the use of

Human Gut Microbiome Reference Material

Ongoing
The most common measurements currently being used to describe these complex microbial communities are: NGS-based metagenomics Mass spectrometry-based metabolomics In either case, no fit-for-purpose standards exist that enable researchers to compare results generated across different laboratories and
Unit of RGTM 10263 -- H5N1 Avian flu synthetic RNA fragments

H5 Influenza Positive Controls

Ongoing
In response to the current H5N1 avian influenza outbreak, NIST has developed a research grade test material (RGTM) for PCR-based assays. This material contains 3 vials with RNA fragments for HA (Part A), NA (Part B), and MP (Part C). A NIST Reference Material is also under development. The guidance

Inkjet Printing and Precision Deposition

Ongoing
Inkjet Droplet Metrology: Drop-on-Demand (DOD) inkjet printing allows precise deposition of picoliter (pL)-size droplets of solutions containing organic or inorganic materials. These drops can be used to create unique patterns, structures, and coatings and build 3-D microstructures making it a
RM2Yeast

Living Yeast Cell Reference Material (RM 8230)

Ongoing
Quantification of total and viable microbial cells is critical for applications ranging from assessment of DNA extraction efficiency in support of microbial metagenomics to characterization of antimicrobial efficacy. In addition, safe biological materials are needed to substitute for true biothreat
Cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) image of an LNP/RNA formulation

LNP-RNA Research Grade Test Material

Ongoing
The currently planned LNP/RNA material (designated RGTM 10240) will include a fragment of the SARS-CoV-2 genome that is approximately 4 kb in length. This fragment was previously included (in unencapsulated form) as “Fragment 1” of NIST RGTM 10169. The RNA fragment is not designed for cell-based

Macromolecular Architectures

Ongoing
This project’s purpose is to synthesize and characterize model thermoplastics, thermoplastic elastomers (TPE), and mixed resins with systematic variation of polymer sequence, chemistry, and architectures to generate libraries of quantitative structure-property relationships validated by multiple

Macromolecule and Nanoparticle Composition and Architecture

Completed
Bringing new products to market requires measurements for rapid, quantitative assessment of composition and structure. To this end, NIST has developed a series of mass spectrometry-based tools that decrease the time necessary to achieve measurement success while producing more accurate results. The

Material Qualification

Ongoing
Objective To develop, utilize, and analyze methods of characterizing the precursor materials in additive manufacturing in both virgin and recycled states with the goal of advancing measurement science to benefit the AM community. The components of principal interest will include the rheological
Montage of symbolic standard activities

Measurement and Sampling Standards

Ongoing
A foundational activity that crosscuts our research goals is the development of a variety of standards and test materials to support the effective operation of trace explosive and narcotic detection devices. Trace sampling issues are addressed through fundamental studies on the adhesion and

Measurements and Standards for Botanical Dietary Supplements

Ongoing
Many consumers believe that botanical dietary supplements will improve their health and that these "natural" remedies are both effective and free from the side effects that may occur with other medications. There are occasional reports of inaccurate labeling, adulteration, contamination (with
Photograph of a unit of SRM 2668 with labeled box and frozen plastic vials.

Measurements and Standards for Contaminants in Biological (Human) Materials

Ongoing
The development of SRMs to support measurements for contaminants in biological fluids and tissues will expand quality assurance capabilities to important species critical to human health. We will provide SRMs that are representative of the analytical challenges that may be encountered by analysts in
Photograph showing labeled units of SRM 1649 Urban Dust and SRM 1649a Urban Dust.

Measurements and Standards for Contaminants in Environmental Samples

Ongoing
In 1971 NIST issued the first natural environmental matrix SRM for contaminants, SRM 1571 Orchard Leaves, with certified concentrations for trace elements. The development of SRM 1571 Orchard Leaves formalized the approach of combining results from "two or more independent and reliable analytical
Food Triangle

Measurements and Standards to Support Nutrition Labeling

Ongoing
Well-characterized certified reference materials are needed by laboratories in the food testing and nutrition communities to facilitate compliance with labeling laws and improve the accuracy of information provided on product labels so that consumers can make good choices. As a result of the
Figure showing four components of metabolomics with samples and processing

Microbial Metabolomics

Ongoing
Mass spectrometry (MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy are widely used and complementary analytical platforms for the characterization, identification, and quantification of a metabolome. MS techniques, typically coupled to chromatography, provide a chemical fingerprint of complex
MMQAP figure

Micronutrients Measurement Quality Assurance Program (MMQAP)

Completed
The MMQAP supported the long-term (months to years) reliability of selected fat- or water-soluble vitamin measurements in human serum and plasma. Results from the comparison studies helped participants to make accurate clinical and health-care decisions as well as to maintain and improve their

Microplastic and Nanoplastic Metrology

Ongoing
The Micro and Nanoplastic (MNP) Metrology Project aims to develop a toolbox of methods for size-based separations from complex matrices, chemical characterization protocols, and test materials necessary to enable quantification of micro- and nano-sized plastic particles, a need articulated by our

Mouse Allelic Ladder

Ongoing
What is an allelic ladder? An allelic ladder is a mixture of highly characterized alleles (known size and sequence) that are generated using the same primers as the test samples and are used during capillary electrophoresis for accurate allele call determination. Why is an allelic ladder important