SOURCES SOUGHT
R -- Effects of levetiracetam, alone and in combination with donepezil, on memory In young and aged rhesus monkeys
- Notice Date
- 2/2/2015
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541990
— All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
- 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-SS-2015-111
- Archive Date
- 3/4/2015
- Point of Contact
- Hunter A. Tjugum, Phone: 301 435 8780
- E-Mail Address
-
hunter.tjugum@nih.gov
(hunter.tjugum@nih.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- This is a Sources Sought notice. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding the availability and capability of all qualified sources to perform a potential requirement. 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 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 The NAICS code applicable to this requirement is 541990, All Other Professional, Scientific and Technical Services, with size standard $15 million. Background The National Institute on Aging (NIA), one of the 27 Institutes and Centers of NIH, leads a broad scientific effort to understand the nature of aging and to extend the healthy, active years of life. The Intramural Research Program (IRP) of the National Institute on Aging (NIA) provides a stimulating setting for a comprehensive effort to understand aging through multidisciplinary investigator initiated research, in this regard. One of the IRP's program activities includes the Neurocognitive Aging Section (NAS). Age-related deficits in cognitive function compromise the quality of life and are among the most troubling consequences of growing older. A major line of research in the NAS is aimed at establishing a nonhuman primate model for defining the basis of normal cognitive aging, and for developing effective interventions. Early studies succeeded in revealing the basic neuropsychological profile of aging, and we have now turned attention to the specific nature of decline, with the aim of defining the effects of aging on the component processes of declarative/episodic memory. Young and aged monkeys are tested across a battery of novel assessments that manipulate demands on key operating characteristics of memory: 1) the contributions of recollection and familiarity to visual recognition, 2) memory for spatial and non-spatial context, 3) the temporal structure of experience, and 4) the relational organization of memory. An important goal of these studies is to develop a detailed and sensitive framework for testing the working hypothesis that age-related decline results from large-scale restructuring of the neural networks that support normal memory. Purpose and Objectives This Sources Sought notice seeks to determine eligible sources with the capability to provide the services described in this notice. The purpose of this potential requirement is to test in a nonhuman primate model whether pharmacological intervention aimed at reducing excessive neuronal activity, alone or in combination with an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor approved for use in the symptomatic treatment of AD, reverses cognitive impairment in older monkeys with memory deficits. The contractor should be able to provide all necessary young and aged monkeys, or be able to provide animal support to existing young and aged monkeys, behavioral testing equipment, and personnel. The anticipated requirement is a continuation of work performed under the existing research project entitled "Testing Pharmacological Intervention on Rhesus Monkeys for the National Institute on Aging (NIA)." This project has provided a resource of animals and cognitive data for potential parallel studies conducted by the Government dealing with the same subjects, and uses MRI to examine associated brain effects of the pharmacological treatment. An additional phase of research development is needed and is anticipated as described herein. Specifically, the contractor will be expected to conduct the work utilizing an established colony of 12 rhesus macaques spanning a range of ages from young adults to aged subjects, 12 to over 21 years of age. All animals have previously received extensive background training on two computer automated tests of memory and executive function, i.e., a delayed matching to sample recognition memory task (DMTS), and a self-ordered spatial span (SOSS) test. These procedures measure cognitive capacities that are known to be both vulnerable to aging, and sensitive to a variety of pharmacological treatments. Requirements to implemenet include: Test the effects of systemic levetiracetam administration, alone or in combination with systemic donepezil treatment, on DMTS and SOSS performance in 12 young and aged rhesus monkeys (12 to 21 +years of age). Each subject will be tested under all control and experimental conditions; Compile behavioral results according to standard performance measures (e.g., trials/errors to criterion, mean percent correct under each cognitive demand) in digital format, and provide routine statistical analysis of results. Analyses will examine drug effects of task performance as a function of age; Make experimental subjects available at request of the government for in vivo brain imaging by MRI. Aside from coordinating animal availability, these activities, including any transportation, maintenance and imaging will be carried out at no cost to the contractor. Scheduling will be arranged in consultation with the Contractor so as to avoid disruption to ongoing behavioral testing. The place of performance for this potential requirement includes Contractor facilities as well as periodic onsite visits possible to Government facilities located at the NIA unit on the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Campus in Baltimore, MD. The period of performance is anticipated for six (6) months to become effective on or around April 1, 2015. Capability statements sought Interested parties are expected to review this notice to familiarize itself with the requirements of this project. Failure to do so will be at your firm's own risk. Respondents must provide, as part of their responses, clear and convincing documentation of their capability of providing the services specified in this notice. Respondents must provide a general overview of the respondents' opinions about the difficulty and /or feasibility of the potential requirement, and any information regarding innovative ideas or concepts. The Respondent must also provide information in sufficient details of the respondents' (a) staff expertise, including their availability, experience, and formal and other training; (b) current in-house capability and capacity to perform the work; (c) prior completed projects of similar nature; (d) corporate experience and management capability; and (e) examples of prior completed Government contracts, references, and other related information. The respondent must also provide their DUNS number, organization name, address, point of contact, and size and type of business (e.g., 8(a), HubZone, etc.) pursuant to the applicable NAICS code and any other information that may be helpful in developing or finalizing the acquisition requirements. All responses to this sources sought notice must reference solicitation number HHS-NIH-NIDA-SSSA-SS-2015-111 and be submitted electronically (via email) to Hunter Tjugum, Contract Specialist at hunter.tjugum@nih.gov on or before the closing date specified in this announcement. Fax responses will not be accepted. The response must not exceed 10 pages in total length in a Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format using 11-point or 12-point font, 8-1/2" x 11" paper size, with 1" top, bottom, left and right margins, and with single or double spacing. CONCLUDING STATEMENTS Disclaimer and Important Notes. This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in 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 a review of the responses received, a pre-solicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published in Federal Business Opportunities. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation. 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).
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