SOURCES SOUGHT
88 -- Rat Model Development/generation
- Notice Date
- 7/22/2015
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 112990
— All Other Animal Production
- Contracting Office
- Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Station Support/Simplified Acquisitions, 31 Center Drive, Room 1B59, Bethesda, Maryland, 20892
- ZIP Code
- 20892
- Solicitation Number
- HHS-NIH-NIDA-SSSA-SBSS-15-645
- Archive Date
- 8/13/2015
- Point of Contact
- Farrin Stanton, , ,
- E-Mail Address
-
farrin.stanton@nih.gov, farrin.stanton@nih.gov
(farrin.stanton@nih.gov, farrin.stanton@nih.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- 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 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. This notice is issued to help determine the availability of qualified companies technically capable of meeting the Government requirement and to determine the method of acquisition. It is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract. Responses will not be considered as proposals or quotes. No award will be made as a result of this notice. The Government will NOT be responsible for any costs incurred by the respondents to this notice. The notice is strictly for research and information purposes only. The information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a small business social-economic set-aside, competitive or non-competitive method is possible, and to determine the availability of qualified companies technically capable of meeting the Government's requirement. ALL organizations with the capability and availability to perform the requirement under the applicable NAICS code are invited to submit a response to this notice. NORTH AMERICAN CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (NAICS) CODE 112990- ALL OTHER ANIMAL PRODUCTION The mission of the Intramural Research Program (IRP) of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) is to conduct state-of-the-art research on basic mechanisms that underlie drug abuse and addiction, and to develop new methods for the treatment of drug abuse and addiction. Research is supported at the molecular, genetic, cellular, animal, and clinical levels and is conceptually integrated, highly innovative, and focused on major problems in the field. The long-term goal of the research is to better understand the biological and behavioral factors contributing to initiation, maintenance, and elimination of drug abuse and addiction (and associated diseases), and to translate this knowledge into improved strategies for preventing, treating, and reducing the negative consequences for the individual and for society caused by drug abuse and addiction. The Optogenetics and Transgenic Technology Core (OTTC) at the NIDA IRP was established for the purpose of developing technology to understand the contributions and connections of specific neurons in cognitive and behavioral functions related to addiction. As the OTTC continues its work to develop novel transgenic models of addiction, they are working to adopt and develop techniques that use rat spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) as the basis of creating and preserving transgenic rats. This SOW is for developing one of the necessary components to facilitate this line of research. Purpose and Objectives: This procurement shall meet the following objectives: Obtain a spermatogonial stem cell (SSC) line derived from Long Evans rats that can be used for successful implantation into recipient Long Evans male that has been either chemically or genetically depleted of SSCs. Additionally, the SSC line must be able to be cyropreserved and recovered for further manipulation to generate a transgenic rat. This project will establish a LE SSC line for OTTC to work with to facilitate the production of complex transgenic rats as well as establish and verify an alternative means to cryopreserve existing transgenic rats on a LE background. Obtain a genetically-induced sterile male Long Evans rat analogous to the previously reported Dazl-deficient Sprague Dawley rats to be used as recipients for genetically modified Long Evans rat spermatogonial stem cells. This would replace the use of generating chemically-induced sterile Long Evans rats. Long Evans rats that express Cre recombinase from the vGlut3 promoter in neurons. The rats obtained via this contract will be required to have utilized spermatogonial stem cells and CRISPR technology. The stem cells will be available for further manipulation once a successful rat is created. Project Requirements: The contractor must provide the following: 1.) Spermatogonial stem cells from Long Evans rats. The source of Long Evans rats should be the same as used by the NIDA animal facility (i.e. male rats purchased through Charles River Laboratories). The isolated lines must be demonstrated to 1) be capable of genetic modification, implantation into recipient, and successful mating with female to produce transgenic progeny; and 2) same as above but from cryopreserved cells. As deliverables, we shall receive 5 cryovials of LE SSCs. Recovery of the cells following delivery is guaranteed. 2.) Long Evans rat analogous to that previously reported male-sterile, Dazl-deficient Sprague Dawley rats to be used as recipients for genetically modified Long Evans rat spermatogonial stem cells. The previously reported Sprague Dawley rat spermatogonial lines yield 100% germline transmission from male-sterile, Dazl-deficient rats (Richardson et al Sterile testis complementation with spermatogonial lines restores fertility to DAZL-deficient rats and maximizes donor germline transmission. PloS one. 2009;4(7):e6308. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0006308. PubMed PMID: 19621088; PMCID: 2710001.) Maximal donor germline transmissions rates are due to the lack of endogenous sperm competition by the male-sterile Dazl-deficient recipients. Lack of competition for donor-derived spermatozoa facilitates donor germline transmission from rat spermatogonial lines following genetic modification and selection in culture. We require as deliverables, 6 breeder pairs as heterozygous animals (genotype confirmed). The contractor will also confirm that the rats are depleted of SSCs and they are capable of receiving donor SSCs to successfully produce offspring from the donor SSCs using a transgenic reporter in the donor SSCs. 3.) Using a DNA construct and CRISPR reagents developed by OTTC at NIDA, we require a facility with capabilities of using CRISPR technology to impart the genome of spermatogonial stem cells. The vendor shall be capable of providing rats with a specific modification of a “2a-Cre” at the vGluT3 gene in Long Evans rats. Deliverables will consist of 4 genotype confirmed heterozygous animals. At least 2 frozen vials of SSCs per animal will also be provided. The contractor would provide evidence of confirmed contracted specifications at the vGluT3 gene. NIDA would supply 3 different DNA constructs (to address what size of homologous arms may be most effective) and CRISPR reagents that have been verified in a rat cell line. The Mutant Rat Resource and Core at UT Southwestern led by Dr. F. Kent Hamra has developed SSC technology including a recent description of using CRISPR to make mutant SSCs and subsequent rats. The NIDA IRP (Customer) requires the following from the contractor: Item number Description Long Evans-derived spermatogonial stem cells (recovery guaranteed) 5 Cryovials Generation of a male-sterile recipient Long Evans rat model for donor spermatogonial stem cells Female breeders Production of vGluT3- 2A-Cre Long Evans Rats via SSCs/CRISPR Rats will be heterozygous knockins Period of Performance 12 months from date of award. CAPABILITY STATEMENT INFORMATION SOUGHT Respondents must provide, as part of their responses, clear and convincing documentation of their capability of providing the item(s) specified in this notice. Contractors that believe they possess the ability to provide the required must submit specific documentation of their ability to meet each of the project requirements to the Contract Specialist. Contractors must provide their Company Name, DUNS number, Physical Address, and Point of Contact Information. Interested organizations are required to identify their type of business, applicable North American Industry Classification System Code, and size standards in accordance with the Small Business Administration. The government requests that no proprietary or confidential business data be submitted in a response to this notice. However, responses that indicate the information therein is proprietary will be properly safeguarded for Government use only. Capability statements must include the name and telephone number of a point of contact having authority and knowledge to discuss responses with Government representatives. Capability statements in response to this market survey that do not provide sufficient information for evaluation will be considered non-responsive. When submitting this information, please reference the solicitation notice number. All capability statements sent in response to this Sources Sought Notice must be submitted electronically (via email) to Farrin Stanton, Contract Specialist, at Farrin.Stanton@nih.gov in MS Word format by or before the closing date of this announcement. All responses must be received by the specified due date and time in order to be considered. The response must be received on or before July 29, 2015 11:00am, eastern time. CONCLUDING STATEMENTS Note: This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in the response. No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization's qualifications to perform the work. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. After review of the responses received, pre-solicitation and solicitation notices may be published in Federal Business Opportunities. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation. The solicitation release date is pending. The Government intends to negotiate a fixed-price purchase order. Confidentiality. No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s).
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/HHS/NIH/NIDA-2/HHS-NIH-NIDA-SSSA-SBSS-15-645/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: 31 Center Drive, Bethesda, Maryland, 20879, United States
- Zip Code: 20879
- Zip Code: 20879
- Record
- SN03806988-W 20150724/150723000410-ac1d3f6184af9bf14fbb6562d7eb1857 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
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