RESTON, Va., Nov. 5, 2009 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has been awarded a follow-on contract by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, to create a resource that supports research of pathogenic viruses and that will lead to new medical treatments and preventive measures for humans.

Northrop Grumman was awarded the initial five-year contract in 2004. This new five-year contract is valued at up to $16 million to the company.

As part of the contract, Northrop Grumman's Information Systems sector will build and maintain a Web-based Virus Pathogen Resource (ViPR) Bioinformatics Resource Center to facilitate the research of Category A, B and C pathogenic viruses and human infection with these viruses. The resource will include surveillance data, human clinical data, virus characteristic information, and the genomic and proteomic data available in public repositories for the pathogenic viruses.

"Northrop Grumman will apply world-class information technology and bioinformatics techniques to develop a quality scientific information system that supports crucial experimental biology research efforts," said Amy King, Northrop Grumman's vice president of health information technology programs. "Our Bioinformatics Resource Center database will be useful for researchers investigating biodefense and public health issues."

The ViPR will also include a suite of tools available to researchers for analysis of pathogenic virus data, as well as a personal workbench for scientists to store critical data.

Under the previous contract, Northrop Grumman developed BioHealthBase, which focused on six priority pathogens that helped fill in gaps in genomic and other data vital to scientific researchers.

Work will be performed at the Northrop Grumman facility in Rockville, Md., and at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas (UTSMC). In addition to UTSMC, other teammates on the program include Vecna Technologies, Inc., Greenbelt, Md.

Northrop Grumman Corporation is a leading global security company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in aerospace, electronics, information systems, shipbuilding and technical services to government and commercial customers worldwide. 

  CONTACT: Christy Whitman
         Northrop Grumman Information Systems
         (571) 213-5302
         christine.whitman@ngc.com