The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has issued a presolicitation Request for Proposal (RFP) announcement seeking contract laboratory support for the Functional Genomics Non-Human Primate (NHP) Core Laboratory.

NIAID provides immunological and virological support for nonhuman primate (NHP) research conducted at NIAID’s Simian Vaccine Evaluation Unit (SVEU) contract sites and by the Division of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (DAIDS) supported vaccine researchers through three existing NHP Core Laboratories (NHP Core Labs): the Humoral Immunology Core Lab, the Cellular Immunology Core Lab, and the Viral Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) Core Lab.

The Functional Genomics NHP Core Laboratory will thus become a fourth NHP Core Lab. The RFP contract is to provide support for the conduct and improvement of assays designed to generate specific quantitative genomic expression profiles and network diagrams from RNA samples obtained from NHPs enrolled in priority SVEU protocols and DAIDS-supported investigator-initiated NHP studies.

The contractor is required to compile and analyze the generated data using bioinformatics and biocomputing tools such as unbiased hierarchical clustering methods and sophisticated network algorithms. The overall research intent is to identify gene signatures that could potentially define correlates of protection and predict vaccine efficacy.

The government anticipates that a contract will be awarded for one base year plus four option years for a possible total period of performance of 5 years beginning on or about June 17, 2013.

Full details are available under Solicitation Number: RFP-NIAID-DAIDS-NIHAI2012142. The formal RFP is expected on May 14, 2012.