About NCPV

The National Collection of Pathogenic Viruses (NCPV) preserves well characterised, authenticated human pathogenic viruses in a secure facility, and NCPV is able to supply the agents, or nucleic acids derived from them, to the scientific community according to national and international guides.

The collection is primarily comprised of human pathogenic viruses requiring handling at UK biosafety levels 3 or 4, but has expanded to encompass hazard group 2 pathogens. Most of the material is in the form of cell-cultured virus stocks, but where desirable or necessary, provision has also been made for selected clinical material and uncultivable viruses to be archived as serum, tissue or other biological samples, or in the form of cloned material. Virological materials, particularly in the area of emerging virus diseases, which are not readily available to the wider scientific community are also held in the collection.

NCPV offers a number of services such as safe deposit storage of viruses, providing a safe, secure backup to the customer's own storage facility. NCPV stores and carries out viability testing on virus patent deposits on behalf of ECACC. The collection also provides information and backup to ECACC, and undertakes any virological investigations they may require. NCPV undertakes collaborative projects and contract research/developmental work with academic and commercial partners, particularly by providing expertise in handling high containment pathogens.

Located at Porton Down, on the site of the Centre for Emergency Preparedness and Response (CEPR), Health Protection Agency, UK, NCPV is one of the four collections which constitute the Health Protection Agency Culture Collections (HPA Culture Collections).

Related Links:
About HPA Culture Collections
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