SRI International said today that it landed a $150 million contract from the National Institutes of Health‘s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the Division of AIDS to support the development of HIV microbicides and other pre-exposure agents. According to the 7-year deal, the research institute will provide preclinical product development services for non-vaccine HIV-prevention products that result from studies or collaborations with companies and organizations.

SRI Biosciences, a division of SRI International, will manufacture and characterize drug products to support promising microbicide and pre-exposure agents through preclinical studies. It will also give support for the required regulatory activities to move products along into clinical testing.

In 2010, the Menlo Park, Calif.-based think tank helped support the development of an HIV-prevention microbicide bioadhesive gel, funded by another NIAID grant.

“Since the early 2000s, researchers at SRI International have been involved in drug development activities to help move many microbicides, PrEP agents, and multipurpose prevention technologies through IND-enabling studies,” Gita Shankar, director of formulations R&D for SRI Biosciences’ Center for Pharmaceutical and Chemical Technologies, said in prepared remarks. “We are very pleased to be given an opportunity to contribute to the acceleration of promising HIV products into clinical testing and the creation of a sustainable pipeline of prevention products and strategies.”