Contracts Management Branch, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH, Federal Building, Room 901, 7550 Wisconsin Avenue, MSC 9190, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-9190

A -- HERMETIC PACKAGES AND FEEDTHROUGHS FOR NEURAL PROSTHESES SOL NIH-NINDS-97-08 DUE 082597 POC Contact Point, Laurie Leonard (LL44S@NIH.GOV), 301/496-1813, Contracting Officer, Kirkland L. Davis, 301/496-9203 WEB: Description of CMB mission, description of services, http://ninds/nih.gov/cmb. E-MAIL: Laurie A. Leonard, LL44S@NIH.GOV. The Neural Prosthesis Program of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), National Institutes of Health, is seeking a contract to develop and demonstrate the reliability of implantable, microsized, hermetic packages and feedthroughs for use in neural prostheses. Such implants are needed for the development of neural prostheses for individuals with sensory and motor disabilities. The implanted elements of these prostheses include electrodes that interface with the biologica l tissue, a power and telemetry receiver, control electronics, and a biocompatible package for the implanted electronics. The development of a microsized, biocompatible package for neural prosthetic implants is the focus of this work. The goal of the project is to develop hermetic packaging techniques that can be used to protect the electronic circuitry needed for telemetry and powering of microelectrodes, as might be used in the central nervous system, and macroelectrodes, such as cuff or intramuscular e lectrodes for peripheral prostheses. Compared to cardiac pacemakers, the required packages are 100 to 1,000 times smaller in volume and require a greater number of feedthroughs. The mean-time-to-failure for the packages will be determined by means of accelerated testing. In-vivo testing of the packages will also be conducted using hermetic packages that include a telemetry system and moisture sensors to permit monitoring of package integrity in an animal model. Personnel with established expertise in he rmetic packaging, microelectronics, and bioengineering are needed. It is anticipated that one award will be made for a period of three years in February 1998. This is not a Request for Proposals (RFP). THE SOLICITATION WILL BE AVAILABLE ELECTRONICALLY ONLY. It will be available on the following website: http://ninds.nih.gov/cmb/rfp.htm. The solicitation will be available at this website 15 or more calendar days after the issuance of this synopsis. OFFERORS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ROUTINELY CHECKING THIS WEBSITE FOR ANY POSSIBLE SOLICITATION AMENDMENTS THAT MAY BE ISSUED. NO INDIVIDUAL NOTIFICATION OF ANY AMENDMENTS WILL BE PROVIDED. All responsible sources may submit a proposal which shall be considered by the agency. Refer to numbered Note 26. (0157)

Loren Data Corp. http://www.ld.com (SYN# 0006 19970610\A-0006.SOL)