National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, Natcher Building, Room 5AS-13A, 45 Center Drive, MSC 6500, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-6500

A -- AUTOIMMUNE RAT REPOSITORY SOL NIH-NIAMS-RFI-99-04 POC Eileen Webster-Cissel, Contracting Officer, Contracts Management Branch, NIAMS, 301-594-2543 The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) seeks sources with demonstrated experience and expertise in cryopreservation and successful recovery of genetically manipulated long-standing autoimmune rat strains. The autoimmune rat model offers unique opportunities to study human disease, by allowing investigators to cross susceptible and resistant strains to discover which genes in each strain influences disease development. The development of genetic maps, physical, and expression maps for the rat is progressing rapidly. However, the availability of the most appropriate inbred strain resources to conduct studies relevant to autoimmune disease is limited or inadequate. A facility to serve as a repository of transgenic rats and cryopreserved embryos relevant to autoimmune diseases would be invaluable not only to assure the preservation of unique experimental resources but also to facilitate new studies in laboratories not previously engaged in this type of research. An expanded program of research in rat models of autoimmunity would significantly advance our understanding of the mechanisms that underlie disease susceptibility in humans and should accelerate the development of new therapeutic approaches. Capable organizations must demonstrate their experience with genetic testing, microbiological and health status testing, and phenotypic assessment of imported rat strains. Organizations must demonstrate the ability to establish foundation colonies, by rederiving rat strains into maximum barriers to eliminate vertical transmission of pathogens and by utilizing the appropriate pedigreed scheme to breed models. Capable organizations must also demonstrate previous experience establishing and managing cryopreserved embryo banks for rat models. Interested parties should submit a capability statement, no later than April 28, 1999. Capability statements should, at minimum, address each of the areas outlined above, and should not exceed ten (10) pages in length. This synopsis is for information purposes only to determine if there are sources with the demonstrated capability of importing and preserving a defined number of transgenic, consomic or other genetically engineered rat strains for autoimmune disease research. This sources sought announcement does not constitute a Request for Proposals and does not obligate the Government in any way. Further, it does not commit the Government to pay for any proposal costs in response to the sources sought announcement. This requirement is listed under Standard Industrial Classification SIC Code 8731. All respondents are asked to indicate the type and size of their business organization in their response. Posted 04/12/99 (W-SN318429). (0102)

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