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Powering the Next Generation of Infectious Disease Interventions

Specialized support for infectious disease programs and vaccine and antiviral development, from discovery through clinical development.

Innovation in infectious disease prevention and treatment moves fast, and decisions need to move faster.

From emerging pathogens to evolving regulatory expectations and complex viral and immune biology, every step demands clarity backed by strong evidence.

We help you turn that complexity into confident action. Acting as an extension of your team, we combine deep expertise in preclinical model development, molecular and cell‑based virology, pathogen biology, immunology, and global clinical execution to support smarter decisions from discovery through late‑phase development, market introduction, post‑marketing (phase IV) trials, and surveillance of resistance to approved interventions.

An overview of our infectious disease expertise.

End-to-end support for infectious disease research

We design testing strategies that generate meaningful, regulatory-supportive data delivered with speed, consistency, and scientific rigor, with expertise spanning both high-containment and standard laboratory environments.

Our Biosafety Level 3 (BSL3) laboratories and polio high-containment facility support safe and reliable work on pathogens that require elevated biosafety and/or biosecurity controls.

Specialist teams in our labs support virological and immunological testing for a wide range of infectious diseases caused by viruses, including:

  • Respiratory viruses 
  • Chronic and persistent viral infections
  • Vectorborne and emerging viruses 
  • Oncogenic viruses
  • High-consequence and eradication-targeted viruses.

Whether you’re developing vaccines, antivirals, or biologics, we help you better understand immune response, evaluate efficacy, and characterize viral behavior, so you can move forward with confidence at every stage.

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Delivering the expertise your program demands

Infectious disease specialists

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  • Support for virology and immunology programs across all development phases
  • Leadership in advanced diagnostic testing
  • Expertise across viruses including influenza virus, RSV, hMPV, HBV, and SARS‑CoV‑2

End-to-end capabilities for virus research

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  • BSL‑3 laboratories for high‑risk pathogen research
  • Virus culture, infectious virus titration (TCID₅₀), and functional neutralization and inhibition assays
  • Genotyping, quantification, and sequencing of viral and bacterial genomes using qPCR, ddPCR, next‑generation sequencing (NGS) and long‑read sequencing technologies
  • Studies of viral entry, replication, and inhibition using whole virus, with pseudovirus models applied when required

Advanced pre-clinical models

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  • Relevant naïve animal infection models tailored to your study
  • Transmission, immunocompromised, and pre-immune models to answer specific research questions
  • Transgenic models

Preclinical-to-clinical continuity

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  • Preclinical and clinical assay development performed in-house using the same laboratory infrastructure
  • Faster translation to clinical trials through direct method transfer and standardized workflows
  • Consistent readouts across preclinical and clinical phases, reducing risks and accelerating development decisions

Supporting your infectious disease programs

Our teams combine virology, immunology, and genomics to generate data that reflects real biological response, helping you assess efficacy, understand mechanisms, and meet regulatory expectations across all phases of development.

Virology and antiviral assessment

Immunogenicity and immune response

Genomics and molecular

Preclinical models and translational

Operations and logistics

Assays

Virology and antiviral assessment

Understanding viral infectivity, replication, neutralization, and inhibition is critical to evaluating infectiousness and therapeutic efficacy. Our virology capabilities focus on live virus, functional assays, and phenotypic readouts, enabling direct assessment of antiviral and vaccine performance under physiologically relevant conditions.

Our techniques and approaches include:

  • Viral culture and titration assays to quantify infectious virus levels
  • Microneutralization assays to measure functional antibody activity and help define correlates of protection
  • Antiviral inhibition assays to evaluate compound efficacy and dose–response relationships
  • Viral phenotyping and genotyping to assess strain variation, fitness, and antiviral resistance
  • Viral culture-based resistance monitoring to characterize reduced susceptibility or escape
  • Testing performed under high-containment BSL-3 conditions, where required
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Immunogenicity and immune response

Evaluating both humoral and cellular immunity is essential for vaccine and therapeutic development. We work with you to define testing strategies that align with your endpoints and provide meaningful insight into immune protection.

Our techniques and approaches include:

  • Serology assays (ELISA, MSD) to quantify antigen-binding antibody responses 
  • Neutralizing antibody assays to measure functional immune responses 
  • ELISpot and FluoroSpot assays to assess antigen-specific T and B cell responses 
  • Comprehensive immune phenotyping, utilizing high-parameter spectral flow cytometry to characterize cell populations, including detailed activation and exhaustion profiling
  • Functional T-cell profiling to measure antigen-specific cytokine production at the single-cell level using advanced ICS flow cytometry assay (intra-cellular cytokine staining) 
  • Multiplex biomarker profiling for pharmacodynamic and safety assessment
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Genomics and molecular

Molecular and genomic data provide critical insight into pathogen evolution, host response, and treatment resistance. Our teams deliver high-quality sequencing and molecular analysis to support both exploratory research and clinical endpoints, generating regulatory-ready datasets that complement functional virology and immunology findings.

Our techniques and approaches include:

  • Viral and bacterial genome and amplicon sequencing using NGS and long-read technologies to enable variant identification, surveillance, and high-resolution mutation detection (e.g., SARS-CoV-2, RSV, hMPV, Influenza, PIV-3, Dengue virus, CMV, HBV, HCV, HDV, 16S rRNA)
  • (RT-)qPCR and (RT-)ddPCR for sensitive detection and quantification of viral, bacterial, and host genetic markers
  • T-cell receptor (TCR) and B-cell receptor (BCR) sequencing to assess adaptive immune responses and vaccine-induced immunity
  • HLA typing and immunogenetics for patient stratification and safety assessment
  • Bioinformatics pipelines delivering structured, traceable, and regulatory-ready molecular datasets
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Preclinical models and translational

Robust preclinical models help you understand disease mechanisms, transmission, and therapeutic impact before entering the clinic. We develop and apply models that reflect real-world infection and immune conditions.

Our techniques and approaches include:

  • Ferret models (including naïve, immunocompromised and pre-immune systems) for respiratory virus research and transmission studies 
  • Animal infection models tailored to your target pathogen 
  • Immunocompromised models to evaluate prolonged infection and antiviral efficacy 
  • Transmission models to study viral spread and intervention impact 
  • Well-designed model development
  • High-containment BSL-3 facilities supporting safe and compliant preclinical research
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Operations and logistics

Delivering consistent, high-quality data across global infectious disease trials requires careful coordination, robust processes, agile troubleshooting, and full visibility at every step. We manage the operational complexity so you can stay focused on your study objectives and timelines.

Our techniques and approaches include:

  • Global sample logistics planning, including temperature-controlled transport and dry-ice shipments 
  • Custom clinical trial kit design, production, and distribution, with 135,000+ kits annually
  • Pre-labelled kits and standardized lab manuals to ensure protocol adherence across sites 
  • PBMC isolation, processing, and cryopreservation through a harmonized global network 
  • Biorepository services for secure, compliant sample storage and traceability 
  • Customs and documentation support, including customs pre-clearance and validated paperwork to reduce border delays
  • Multiple courier options (standard, premium, and in-house) worldwide, selected based on sample risk and timeline criticality
  • Seamless integration of central and specialty laboratory testing across regions
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Assays

Custom assays support targeted scientific questions and regulatory requirements across infectious disease programs. We develop and implement fit-for-purpose assays that generate robust, reproducible data to support exploratory research and clinical endpoints across all study phases.

Our approaches include:

  • Development and fit-for-purpose validation of custom molecular, serological, cellular, and tissue-based assays
  • Assay implementation in ISO-, CAP-, CLIA-, and GLP/GCLP-compliant laboratory environments to support clinical trials
  • Technology transfer and technical qualification, including SOP development, method verification, and operator training
  • Multi-site assay harmonization to ensure consistent execution and comparable, regulatory-ready data
  • Integration of custom assays with clinical trial operations, including kit design, sample workflows, PBMC processing, and biobanking support
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Our track record of experience and results

460+
infectious disease trials supported
Duotone_Virus
446,600+
patients screened globally
Duotone_Patients
~80%
of trials include specialty testing
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439,500+
randomized trials
Duotone_Agile
36
market authorizations and expansions supported
Duotone_Tick

Locations and technologies

Global labs and Centers of Excellence for infectious disease expertise

We provide consistent, high-quality results across regions through a network of harmonized laboratories and standardized workflows so you can focus on your study outcomes.

Virology: Netherlands (Rotterdam, Rijswijk and Schaijk), Australia (Sydney), France (Frépillon and Montpellier), United States (New York), Canada (Montreal), South Africa (Johannesburg) 

Flow cytometry: United States (New York), Belgium (Ghent), Taiwan (Taipei), China (Shanghai), Australia (Sydney)

Genomics: France (Paris), Netherlands, United States (New York and partner lab), Taiwan (Taipei), Canada (Montreal)

Histopathology and IHC: United States (New York), France (Frépillon and Montpellier), Taiwan (Taipei), China (Shanghai)

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Technologies powering infectious disease programs

We apply advanced virology, immunology, molecular, and tissue-based technologies to generate high-quality, regulatory-ready data for infectious disease studies.

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) (Illumina® platforms; Oxford Nanopore Technologies™ sequencing) 

Immunoassays and biomarker profiling (ELISA, MSD™ [Meso Scale Discovery], ELLA™, multiplex cytokine profiling up to 37-plex) 

Cell-based immune assays (ELISpot and FluoroSpot, ViroSpot™) 

Conventional flow cytometry (BD FACSLyric™)

Highparameter flow cytometry (Cytek® Aurora)

AI-driven analytics for spectral flow cytometry (Ozette) 

Spatial biology and transcriptomics (NanoString® GeoMx®, FISH and ISH/RNAscope®) 

Digital pathology and image analysis (Indica Labs’ Halo®, Visiopharm®)

Accelerating Infectious Disease Research with Preclinical Models

Turn scientific ideas into actionable preclinical strategies to support translational research with Cerba Research’s expertise in study design and model selection. 

In this whitepaper, we explore how to bridge the gap between early scientific questions and robust preclinical experimental design, helping researchers improve translational success, reduce variability, and generate meaningful, decision-ready data.

Learn more about how we can support you, including:

  • Design and optimization of preclinical study strategies tailored to research objectives
  • Selection and application of relevant in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo models
  • Development of customized assays to support virology, immunology, and therapeutic research
  • Expert guidance on translating complex scientific questions into validated experimental readouts
Accelerating Infectious Disease Research with Preclinical Models

Related specialized services

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Flow cytometry

Generate deep immune insights critical to infectious disease research with advanced flow cytometry. Our global network supports immunophenotyping, intracellular cytokine staining, receptor occupancy, and immune activation profiling using cutting-edge spectral platforms.

Purple-gloved hands preparing laboratory sample tray

Preclinical

Accelerate infectious disease programs with integrated preclinical expertise. We support in vivo and ex vivo studies across BSL2 and BSL3 environments, enabling robust evaluation of vaccine efficacy, antiviral activity, immunogenicity, and safety.

Close up of multichannel pipette positioned above a transparent laboratory well plate A

Immunoassays

Answer complex immunology questions with fit-for-purpose immunoassays for infectious disease research. We deliver validated and custom ligand-binding assays and multiplex cytokine profiling (up to 37-plex) to support immunogenicity, safety, pharmacokinetics, and neutralizing antibody assessment.

Scientist pipetting sample into laboratory tube

Biomarkers

Identify and deploy biomarkers that inform crucial infectious disease outcomes. Our scientists collaborate with you to select, develop, and validate biomarkers that reflect immune activation, inflammation, and protection.

Close-up of gloved hands operating a multichannel pipette above sample tubes A

Molecular assays

Unlock critical pathogen and host genomic insights with advanced molecular testing. We design and implement molecular assays to support viral load assessment, genotyping, variant tracking, and vaccineresponse characterization.

Ready to move your infectious disease program forward?

Let’s discuss how we can support your study design, assay strategy, or global deployment.

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Scientific publications

Scientific evidence is key to guiding therapeutic development. Explore real-world data, translational research, and clinical insights impacting the infectious disease landscape.

Scientists collaborating at microscopy workstation

Infectious diseases and vaccines FAQ