Inactive

On behalf of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), the Office of Acquisitions Contracts Management Branch Red, NINDS Section of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NID... On behalf of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), the Office of Acquisitions Contracts Management Branch Red, NINDS Section of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), intends to solicit on a sole-source basis by a request for quotation to Carl Zeiss Microscopy, LLC. The purpose of this acquisition is to purchase a compound fluorescence microscope. The microscope is used to study development and degeneration of the nervous system, using the fruit fly, Drosophila, as a model organism. The fruit fly nervous system is extremely small and must be analyzed in cellular and subcellular detail. Fluorescence microscopy is a basic technique used every day for every project in the lab, and a high-quality microscope is essential. See attachment for full details.

Inactive

1. Statement of Need and Purpose: The AGNCU needs to purchase a compound fluorescence microscope. This equipment is essential for all ongoing projects in the lab in order to visualize cellular and sub... 1. Statement of Need and Purpose: The AGNCU needs to purchase a compound fluorescence microscope. This equipment is essential for all ongoing projects in the lab in order to visualize cellular and subcellular structures in the Drosophila developing and adult nervous system. 2. Background Information and Objective: The Axon Guidance and Neural Connectivity Unit (AGNCU) studies development and degeneration of the nervous system, using the fruit fly, Drosophila, as a model organism. The fruit fly nervous system is extremely small, and must be analyzed in cellular and subcellular detail. Fluorescence microscopy is a basic technique we use every day for every project in the lab, and a high-quality microscope is essential. The current microscope in the section is more than 15 years old. With time, the equipment has broken down, so the current microscope has been maintained by scavenging parts from two broken microscopes. The manufacturer no longer makes essential parts for this long-discontinued model, so additional repairs are not feasible. Moreover, microscopy technology has advanced tremendously in the past decade, and the experiments the section can perform are now limited by the capabilities of this old equipment. Finally, the computer and operating system required to run the microscope are also obsolete, and are considered a security risk by NIH IT. This prevents us from linking the microscope to the NIH network for retrieving files or analyzing them by various webservers. For these reasons, the BSC recommended that the lab be given the funds to replace the microscope with a contemporary model. 3. Generic Name of Product: Fluorescence compound microscope, with associated computer and software 4. Purchase Description: Zeiss AxioImager M2, with Apotome 3 resolution enhancement attachment, associated computer, and Zen 3.5 software. 5. Salient characteristicsTo be considered technically acceptable, the Equipment must meet or exceed the following salient physical, functional, or performance characteristics, on a brand-name - Compound microscope equipped for at least 4 channel fluorescence, with motorized stage for collecting z-stack image stacks. - High-NA water-immersion lens for effective imaging of thick biological samples. - Compatibility with specialized, high-quality objective lenses currently in the lab. - Resolution enhancement system that relies on optical properties, not primarily computational methods, to avoid corrupting information content of images. - High-sensitivity camera and adjustable light source to minimize photodamage in live imaging experiments. - Computer interface that can run complex, 4D image collection routines, enhance data (including deconvolution, 3D visualization and basic image-processing).