Contact Points
Primary Contract Specialist
Secondary Contracting Officer
Bethesda, Maryland
20814
Dr. Zhang has been working collaboratively with the SMN for several years to establish the chemical identity of PACAPergic neurons in the brain (Zhang et al., eLife 10: e61718, 2021) and has been working on gathering data during her sabbatical in the DIRP. She is thus familiar with the data set that must be analyzed and quantified to assess PACAPergic circuits involved in stress in the mouse brain, and to make quantitative comparisons of the PACAP-expressing brain nuclei that comprise these circuits in the mouse brain, with the primate brain.
Dr. Zhang’s extensive experience in the anatomically specific cellular and biochemical dynamics of peptidergic neuronal groups during perturbations leading to altered rodent behavioral responses to threat and homeostatic imbalance in a neuroscientific research setting exclusively qualifies her for this work.
Furthermore, Dr. Zhang has been the recipient of several awards recognizing her leadership in the field of neuropeptide research and in the mentorship of neuroendocrinologists and neuroscientists learning the detailed methods of histochemical analysis specific to neuropeptides that have been developed in her laboratory. Dr. Zhang has been published in many highly prestigious journals including the Journal of Neuroendocrinology, eLife, Frontiers in Neuroscience, and Translational Psychiatry. Dr. Zhang possesses a skill set that is extremely hard to find and we are quite fortunate to have her services and skill set available to us. This expertise is of the utmost importance to our ongoing studies in SMN.
The Section on Molecular Neuroscience (SMN) is carrying out a comprehensive mapping and function of brain nuclei expressing the neuropeptide PACAP, and potentially involved in endocrine and behavioral responses to stress. The next phase of this project therefore requires the systematic region-specific deletion of PACAP in hypothalamus, brain stem and cerebral cortex so that the various specific behaviors and endocrine responses associated with the global stress response can be assigned to specific PACAPergic circuits.
The Contractor shall:
- Provide expertise in the design and completion of acquisition of microscopically visualized data sets required to identify and quantify expression of PACAP mRNA and protein in neuronal cell groups in rodent (mouse) brain under quiescent and stressed conditions, using material supplied by members of the Section on Molecular Neuroscience;
- Assist in the development of methods for extension of this inquiry at the histological/anatomical level to primate (marmoset) and human brain;
- Establish a methodologically reliable workflow for generalizing conservation-of-function/anatomy to other emergent aversive/approach/avoidance behaviors dependent upon neuropeptide neurotransmitters in the mammalian brain.
Interested parties may identify in writing their interest and capability in response to this requirement. Responses to this notice shall contain sufficient information to establish the interested parties’ bona-fide capabilities for fulfilling the requirement and include: unit price, list price, shipping and handling costs, the delivery period after contract award, the prompt payment discount terms, the F.O.B. Point (Destination or Origin), the Dun & Bradstreet Number (DUNS), the Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), and the certification of business size. All offerors must have an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) www.sam.gov.
All responses must be received by closing date and must reference the announcement. Responses may be submitted electronically to the attention of the contract specialist. Fax responses will not be accepted.
All responsible sources may submit a bid, proposal, or quotation which shall be considered by the agency.