NIH-NINDS - 22-009584 - Notice of Intent

Submitted by patelsnv on
Post Date/ Solicitation Issue Date
Closing Response Date
Proposed Award Date
Project Title
Complex Wheel Behavioral Assay System
Contracting Office
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

Contact Points

Primary Contract Specialist

Valerie
Gregorio
valerie.gregorio@nih.gov
NAICS Code Number
334516
Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing
Small Business Size Standard
1,000 employees
FPDS Classification Code
N/A
Estimated Period of Performance
N/A
Delivery of Goods
BLDG 35 RM 3D-951
Set-Aside Status
Not Set Aside
Competition Status
Brand Name Only
Vendor Name
Lafayette Instrument
Address
3799 Sagamore Parkway North
Lafayette, IN 47904
Single-Sole Source Determination
Performed market research on different brands of running wheel assays. Contacted TSE as an alternate vendor; they make simple wheel assay systems. However, the only system that integrates complex wheels (running wheels with some rungs removed and the ability to customize in an asymmetric pattern) is Lafayette Instruments.
Background/Description of Requirement

In the central nervous system, oligodendrocytes are cells responsible for producing myelin, the insulation around electrically active axons of neurons. Myelin facilitates fast electrical conductance in an analogous way as rubber insulation around electrical wiring. Proper development and maintenance of oligodendrocytes has important implications on demyelinating disease, including multiple sclerosis, a disease in which immune cells attack and destroy myelin, and leukodystrophies, childhood diseases in which myelin fails to form properly leading to progressive disability. In addition, recent studies also support a role for oligodendrocytes in psychiatric disease and in memory, including in Alzheimer’s disease.

Our lab focuses on understanding the cell biology and building blocks of the oligodendrocyte, and how they contribute to normal brain function and disease. The oligodendrocyte is a cell that is shaped like a tree, with many branches that terminate to form myelin sheaths, which wrap concentrically around the axon in many layers, much like a long paper towel roll or a bolt of fabric. Our questions primarily underly the structure of these branches – microtubules that form the roads of these cells – and the cargos that travel along them, including organelles and mRNA genetic messages.

 One key finding of our lab is that normal proteins that function to build microtubules in oligodendrocytes may aberrantly aggregate in neurological diseases, such as multiple system atrophy (MSA) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In order to model these diseases in rodents without using transgenic models (i.e., for diseases without a known genetic cause), we need a reproducible and accurate way to inject disease-causing materials into mouse brains.


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.