The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) is soliciting for a vendor to develop an ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) in support of ongoing radiation countermeasure research.
The awardee will to develop an improved ELISA to detect the peptide, ALXN41000TPO in non-human primates, and optimize sensitivity of the assay for the drug ALXN4100TPO.
ALXN41000TPO was developed by Alexion Pharmaceuticals. The drug company no longer makes this product. USUHS has a very limited supply of this compound and will only provide it to the awardee.
The current ELISA in use for this project employs sheep anti-human kappa light chain and sheep anti-human IgG. When monkey serum containing ALXN4100TPO is added to the ELISA plate coated with sheep anti-human IgG, together with ALXN4100TPO, monkey IgG will also bind to the sheep IgG. This results in excessive non-specific binding of the second antibody to this complex and a spuriously high signal.
The Government will provide the awardee with Government Furnished Material to include:
• ALX4100TP0 (approx 200 mg)
• Untreated pooled nonhuman serum samples (approx 4-5 ml)
• Antibody scaffold (approx 500 mg)
USUHS is the Nation’s federal health sciences university and is committed to excellence in military medicine and public health during peace and war. USUHS is located in Bethesda, MD on the campus of Naval Support Activity Bethesda.
Further details are available under Solicitation Number: HU0001-14-Q-0380.