SOLICITATION NOTICE
H -- Functional DNA Repair Assays for Lung Cancer Risk
- Notice Date
- 7/31/2007
- Notice Type
- Solicitation Notice
- NAICS
- 541380
— Testing Laboratories
- Contracting Office
- Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, Office of Acquisitions, 6120 Executive Blvd. EPS Suite 600, Rockville, MD, 20852, UNITED STATES
- ZIP Code
- 00000
- Solicitation Number
- Reference-Number-NCI-70104-NV
- Response Due
- 8/9/2007
- Archive Date
- 8/24/2007
- Description
- The National Cancer Institute (NCI), Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics (DCEG), Radiation Epidemiology Branch (REB) plans to procure on a sole source basis with the University of Texas, M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Houston, TX 77030 for laboratory services to perform functional DNA repair assays for lung cancer risk within the Prostate, Lung, Colon, and Ovary (PLCO) trial. The REB seeks to determine the predictive usefulness of several phenotypic or functional assays that have been associated with increased cancer risk by previous investigators. The predictiveness of these assays has, however, been hotly debated because the tests were performed on biologic specimens collected after cancer diagnosis and may be measuring the consequence rather than the underlying causes of cancer. Investigators in REB are extremely interested in determining whether the assays can be used in prospectively collected samples because this would establish, in principle, that the case-control study design was not invalidated by reverse causation bias. Several investigators worldwide have used functional tests (e.g. G2 or mutagen sensitivity, host-cell reactivation, and Comet assays) in case-control studies to evaluate human cancer risk associated with these various measures of DNA damage or DNA damage repair capacity (DRC). Many of these studies provide data suggesting that elevated DNA damage induced by in vitro mutagen exposure (or reduced DRC) was associated with increased cancer risk at several sites (e.g. head and neck, lung, brain, breast, bladder, melanoma, and non-melanoma skin cancer). Because lung cancer is one of the primary cancer sites of interest in the PLCO trial, investigators have established immortalized lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs) for lung cancer cases and matched controls. Importantly, the blood cells from the cases were collected before their lung cancer diagnosis. Lung cancer is one of the malignancies that has been examined extensively by functional tests in hospital-based case-control studies, most notably by investigators at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. As a primary aim of this new contract, the REB seeks a long-standing expert in the application of specific functional assays among lung cancer cases and controls. The purpose of the procurement is to assess lung cancer risk in relation to selected DNA repair functional assays using prospectively collected (pre-diagnostic) cryopreserved samples, thus addressing the potential reverse-causation bias of previous studies. Investigators in the Epidemiology Department of M. D. Anderson Cancer Center are premier experts in the application of a battery of functional DNA repair tests for several cancer sites, but most notably lung cancer and cancers of the upper respiratory tract. This laboratory provided the primary initial evidence that the assays predict lung cancer risk, but their studies have been limited to retrospective analyses. The M. D. Anderson Cancer Center has established an ongoing body of work and set the standard for conducting these specific functional assays (mutagen sensitivity with the bleomycin challenge and the host cell reactivation (HCR) assay with a BPDE challenge), no other laboratory can serve the government?s purpose in showing that the assay results are not affected by the diagnosis of lung cancer. The University of Texas, M.D. Anderson Research Center is the only source known to the NCI Researchers with the credible regard by the scientific community to perform these assays. The assays must be performed at one location as uniform quality control standards are of paramount importance. This acquisition will be processed under FAR Part 12 - Acquisition for Commercial Items and will be made pursuant to the authority in FAR 13.5 to use simplified procedures for commercial acquisitions. This is not a solicitation for competitive quotations. However, if any interested party believes it can provide the above service they may submit a statement of capabilities. The statement of capabilities and any other information furnished must be in writing and must contain material in sufficient detail to allow NCI to determine if the party can perform the requirement. An original and one copy of the capability statements must be received in the contracting office by 1:00 p.m. EDT, on August 9, 2007. Faxed and emailed capability statements are NOT authorized. All questions must be in writing and can be faxed to (301) 402-4513 or emailed to dm170b@nih.gov. It is the vendor's responsibility to call (301) 402-4509 to verify questions have been received. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed requirement based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. In order to receive an award from the NCI contractors must be registered in the Online Representations and Certifications Applications (ORCA). Please refer to http://orca.bpn.gov in order to register. In addition, contractors must be registered in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) www.ccr.gov. No collect calls will be accepted. NAICS 541380. Size Standard $11M.
- Record
- SN01357226-W 20070802/070731220600 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
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