def METHOD_NAME(curie_string, forced_prefix="nmdc"):
    # Remove any characters that are not allowed in a CURIE
    curie_cleaned = re.sub(r'[^a-zA-Z0-9:_.-]', '', curie_string)
    # Add the "nmdc" prefix if no prefix is present
    if ':' not in curie_cleaned:
        curie_normalized: str = f'{forced_prefix}:{curie_cleaned}'
    else:
        curie_normalized = curie_cleaned
    return curie_normalized