NINDS 25-005615

Brand Name

BRUKER NANO

Rationale/ Salient Characteristics

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the nation’s leading medical research agency and the primary Federal agency whose mission is to seek fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability, conducting, supporting, and making medical discoveries that improve people’s health and save lives.
NINDS is one of 27 Institutes and Centers at the NIH, and its mission is to seek fundamental knowledge about the brain and nervous system and to use that knowledge to reduce the burden of neurological disease for all people.
The NINDS Division of Intramural Research (DIR) is the internal research program of the NINDS and is among the largest neuroscience research centers in the world. It is home to more than 500 scientists who conduct leading-edge basic, translational, and clinical research in neuroscience, neurology, and neurosurgery research at NINDS laboratories in Bethesda, Maryland.
The Spatial Navigation and Memory Unit (SNMU) is focused on the neural basis of spatial navigation and memory, with the ultimate goal to uncover the fundamental principle of spatial cognition and the cause of related neurological disorders. Using genetic mouse models, the lab is addressing several fundamental questions: (1) how is spatial information represented and computed in the MEC circuit; (2) whether and how is spatial memory encoded in the MEC; (3) how the MEC interacts with other brain areas to perform its function; (4) how the physiological function of the MEC is disrupted in Alzheimer's Disease.
The existing two-photon microscope (NIH decal no.: 02211035) currently operates with a single-wavelength laser that lacks a second laser pathlimiting the system’s ability to perform simultaneous dual-color imaging of fluoresent proteinswith different wavelengths. To overcome this limitation, an upgrade is necessary to incorporate a second light path using a dual-wavelength laser configuration. This requires the addition of key optical components, including a Pockels cell group, mirrors, a beam expander lens set, and a beam-combining dichroic mount, all of which are essential for precise light modulation and optimal laser path alignment.

The objective of this procurement is to enhance the existing two-photon imaging system by integrating these components, thereby enabling spatially and temporally precise patterned optogenetic stimulation. This upgrade will significantly improve the unit’s ability to dissect neural circuit dynamics, contributing to a deeper understanding of memory formation and spatial processing in the brain.

The NINDS SNMU requires add-on components for the laser input optics to support a dual-wavelength upgrade with a laser that lacks an integrated AOM. These components will interface with an existing 2Pplus two-photon microscope (NIH decal no.: 02211035), enabling the addition of a second light path. This enhancement will facilitate precise and powerful patterned illumination of specimens during in vivo imaging.
Required Unique Features of the Add-On Components:
• Pockels cell modulator
o Must include:
 3.5 mm aperture modulator
 HV control box
 Mount and spacer
 Beam stop collar
 Alignment target
 Must work with the standard Ultima system
• Enhanced Silver Mirror
o 25.4 mm diameter × 6 mm thick
o Must be for table-mounted optics
• Tabletop Adjustable Filter Mount
o Must have beam-combining dichroic in the laser path
o Must include optical table mounting hardware
• Mounted Beam Combining Dichroic - 1040DCRB
o Must be able to mount beam-combining dichroic for Ultima scanhead.
o Must have 3 mm thick substrate.
• Beam Expander Lens Set
o Must include 3× lenses.
• Must include warranty of at least 90 days:
o Seller warrants to the Buyer that new equipment will be free of defects in material and workmanship for a period of one year commencing on final acceptance. This warranty covers the cost of parts and labor (including, where applicable, field service labor and travel required to restore the equipment to normal operation).
o Seller warrants to the Buyer that replacement parts will be newer of equal functional quality and warranted for the remaining portion of the original warranty
o Seller warrants to the Buyer that software will perform insubstantial compliance with the written materials accompanying the software.