SOURCES SOUGHT
R -- Development of Computer Algorithms and Software for Multimodality Cardiac Image Segmentation, Registration, and Visualization
- Notice Date
- 4/23/2012
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 611310
— Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools
- Contracting Office
- Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, Rockledge Dr. Bethesda, MD, Office of Acquisitions, 6701 Rockledge Dr RKL2/6100 MSC 7902, Bethesda, Maryland, 20892-7902
- ZIP Code
- 20892-7902
- Solicitation Number
- NHLBI-CSB-(HL)-2012-108-DDC
- Archive Date
- 5/19/2012
- Point of Contact
- Deborah - Coulter, Phone: (301) 435-0368
- E-Mail Address
-
dc143b@nih.gov
(dc143b@nih.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- This Sources Sought Notice (SS) is for information and planning purposes only and shall not be construed as a solicitation or as an obligation on the part of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). This is a Small Business Sources Sought notice. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding: (1) the availability and capability of qualified small business sources; (2) whether they are small businesses; HUBZone small businesses; service-disabled, veteran-owned small businesses; 8(a) small businesses; veteran-owned small businesses; woman-owned small businesses; or small disadvantaged businesses; and (3) their size classification relative to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is 611310 with a size standard $7.0 million, for the proposed acquisition. Your responses to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a set-aside is possible. An organization that is not considered a small business under the applicable NAICS code should not submit a response to this notice." The NHLBI does not intend to award a contract on the basis of responses nor otherwise pay for the preparation of any information submitted. As a result of this Sources Sought notice, the NHLBI may issue a Request for Quote (RFQ). NO SOLICITATION IS AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME. However, should such a requirement materialize, no basis for claims against the NHLBI shall arise as a result of a response to this Sources Sought notice or the NHLBI's use of such information as either part of our evaluation process or in developing specifications for any subsequent requirement. Based on the responses received from this SOURCES SOUGHT announcement, the proposed acquisition may be solicited as a Total Small Business Set-Aside. All eligible small business concerns responding to this Sources Sought Announcement must have the capabilities to provide Services/supplies as below. STATEMENT OF WORK Background Information The major focus of the Advanced Cardiovascular Imaging Group at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) is development and validation of new cardiovascular imaging. Routine noninvasive cardiac imaging techniques, such as cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and cardiovascular computed tomography (CT), are performed on patients to diagnose coronary artery disease. The extent and severity of coronary stenoses can be determined using coronary CT angiography (CTA). The presence and amount of ischemia can be identified using myocardial perfusion MRI. There is a need to quantitatively compare cardiovascular MRI and cardiovascular CT images to determine the concordance of stress perfusion defects by both modalities with the anatomic information obtained by coronary CT angiography and invasive coronary angiography. There is also a need to compare quantitative stress perfusion MRI, CTA, adenosine stress CT perfusion with simultaneous sestamibi SPECT, and invasive angiography. Thus, the goal of this contract is to procure computer algorithm and programming support for the development of medical image processing software for the application of multimodality cardiac image segmentation, registration, and visualization for the Advanced Cardiovascular Imaging Group at NHLBI. Purpose and Objective of the Procurement Since coronary CT angiography and stress perfusion MRI provide complimentary information for coronary anatomy and myocardial perfusion information, both modalities are needed to assess coronary artery disease. To fuse the information from both imaging modalities, physicians use assumptions on coronary perfusion territories to determine which specific stenosis is associated with which ischemic region. Due to the high variability between patient's coronary artery anatomies, as well as the uncertain relation between perfusion territories and supplying coronary arteries, there is a need for computer algorithm and software that can integrate, register, and display images from both cardiac CT angiography and MR perfusion imaging. Such computer algorithm and software may also enable integrative and quantitative comparison of complimentary information from multimodality cardiac imaging; such as coronary CT angiography, stress perfusion MRI, stress perfusion CT, sestamibi SPECT, and invasive angiography. Specific goals for integrative cardiac image analysis may include, but not limited to, the following tasks: • Register cardiac MR perfusion images with cardiac CT angiography images • Register cardiac MR perfusion images with CT perfusion images, and with SPECT perfusion images Specific computer software and image processing algorithms development for multimodality cardiac image registration include, but not limited to, the following functions: • Develop image enhancement and rectification methods to reduce image noise and correct imaging related distortions. These image processing techniques can be used to provide a better image for qualitative interpretation and can also form important standardization procedures for subsequence automated analysis. • Develop image segmentation algorithms to delineate structures of interest and to discriminate them from background tissues. This can for example detect and localize common objects or organs of interest or to classify different pixel or tissue groups from multimodality cardiac image dataset. • Develop computer algorithms to extract equivalent or corresponding features from different cardiac image datasets. The extract image features may for example be object shapes or points or may simply be intensity-based measures. These features form fundamental building blocks for subsequent feature matching between two or more image datasets. • Develop geometric transformation methods that can map coordinates of pixels or points from one image volume into another. This includes image transformation which involves translation, rotation, and scaling for rigid body types of organs. It also includes affine or polynomial transformation to perform image warping for non-rigid body tissue structures. • Develop numerical optimization methods to find the best parameters for geometric image transformation. This can be accomplished through an iterative process in which an objective function derived from two images is optimized through numerical procedures. The best transformation parameters can either be computed directly for a closed form solution or searched heuristically as an open form problem. • Develop validation protocols to evaluate the results of multimodality cardiac image registration. This may include establishing reference standard dataset derived from computer simulation, phantom data, animal data, cadaver data, and patient data to evaluate the accuracy of registration algorithms and results. Such dataset should also incorporate specific requirements and configuration to allow clinical evaluation. • Develop 3D visualization tools to display the combined image information from multidimensional and multimodality cardiac images. This may include developing and integrating visualization software and hardware to facilitate visual inspection of registered volumetric dataset. This may also include developing graphical user interface and interactive measuring tools for qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the registration results. Contractor Requirements: Accomplishing successfully the above tasks requires not only excellent software programming skills but also a comprehensive knowledge of computer vision and medical imaging. We need a contracting entity with C/C++, Matlab, IDL, OpenGL, and CUDA programming experience and multi-year experience working in the field of medical image processing and algorithm development. Additional areas of interest include parallel or distributed computing, and GPU computing. We foresee that most of the tasks could be performed by a computer science graduate student with 3 years of experience in at least 2 of the required programming languages C/C++, Matlab, IDL, and good knowledge of medical image processing. A faculty member within the same contracting entity may be recruited to supervise the progress of the specified tasks. The graduate student is expected to perform the assigned tasks full-time on site Government Responsibilities Office/lab space will be provided at the NIH campus, Bldg. 10, Rm. B1D416, with personal computer workstation and laptops access to NHLBI network. NIH will provide all software and required security training. The work will be conducted within standard NIH research policy. Period of performance The proposed period of performance for the service will consist of one twelve month basic contract period, and shall include options to renew for four (4) successive twelve month periods The Contractor is expected to perform the assigned tasks full-time on site. Work will be performed primarily at the NIH campus, Bldg. 10, Rm. B1D416 in cooperation with the Advanced Cardiovascular Imaging group. Reporting Requirements and Deliverables The selected entity will distribute and present the work on a regular basis to the laboratory and in particular will discuss its potential use of integration needs with the NHLBI staffs. The deliverable will include compiled computer programs and source codes, comments and usage inside the source code, and relevant documents. Program Management and Control Requirements The selected entity will meet with NHLBI staffs weekly on NIH campus to discuss the progress of the project and plans for future implementation. Inspection and Acceptance Requirements The selected entity will meet with NHLBI staffs regularly to present the software release and to provide assistance for user training, technical support, report writing, and bug fixings. Intellectual Property Issues It is understood that nothing herein shall be deemed to constitute, by implication or otherwise, the grant to the contractor (herein "Entity") of any license or other rights under any patent, patent application or other intellectual property right or interest belonging to the NHLBI. Entity retains all intellectual property rights in its software products, copyrighted data file formats, and previously developed code. The specific computer software and source code, and overall system as modified by any procedure by the contracting entity will be the exclusive property of NHLBI. Interested qualified small business organizations should submit a tailored capability statement for this requirement, not to exceed 20 single-sided pages (including all attachments, resumes, charts, etc.) presented in single-space and using a 12-point font size minimum, that clearly details the ability to perform the aspects of the notice described above and in the draft SOW. All proprietary information should be marked as such. Statements should also include an indication of current certified small business status; this indication should be clearly marked on the first page of your capability statement (preferably placed under the eligible small business concern's name and address). Responses will be reviewed only by NIH personnel and will be held in a confidential manner. All capability Statements sent in response to this SOURCES SOUGHT notice must be submitted electronically (via email) to Deborah Coulter Contract Specialist, at coulterd@nhlbi.nih.gov in either MS Word or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF), by May 4th 2012, 8:00 am, EST. All responses must be received by the specified due date and time in order to be considered. am, EST. All responses must be received by the specified due date and time in order to be considered.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/HHS/NIH/NHLBI/NHLBI-CSB-(HL)-2012-108-DDC/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: NIH, Bethewsda, Maryland, 20892, United States
- Zip Code: 20892
- Zip Code: 20892
- Record
- SN02728525-W 20120425/120423234800-3fe1603e4e922fbb7e13c041fffe762a (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
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