Exosome Purification, Exosomal RNA Purification, and Small RNA-Sequencing Services

Background
The National Institutes of Health (NIH), in collaboration with the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), requires specialized laboratory services to support a clinical research study (POTS) led by Dr. Paule V. Joseph at the NIH in Bethesda, Maryland.

The study involves processing plasma specimens from 31 enrolled human research participants to isolate intact exosomes, purify exosomal RNA, and perform small RNA-sequencing for downstream analysis. Due to the time-sensitive nature of these irreplaceable specimens, they must be processed professionally to maintain sample integrity and yield analysis-ready data. The NIH laboratory lacks the validated workflow and capacity to perform these tasks within the required timeframe, necessitating the acquisition of these services from a qualified provider.

Work Details
The contractor shall provide all necessary labor, equipment, instrumentation, reagents, and materials to isolate intact exosomes, purify exosomal RNA, and conduct small RNA-sequencing on 31 Government-furnished plasma specimens while maintaining specimen integrity and chain of custody.

The specific tasks include:
1) Purifying intact exosomes from 0.5 mL of plasma for each of the 31 samples; splitting the elution into aliquots A and B, with aliquot A further divided into two intact-exosome aliquots (two vials per sample returned to the client).
2) Purifying exosomal RNA from intact exosomes (aliquot B); eluting into two RNA aliquots per sample (one returned to the client and one used for small RNA-sequencing), including performing quality control (QC) on the purified RNA.
3) Conducting small RNA-sequencing for all 31 samples, which includes library preparation, library QC, and sequencing on the Illumina platform (1x51 bp, approximately 20 million average raw reads per sample).
4) Performing basic bioinformatics analysis such as trimming, filtering, mapping, and transferring all sequencing data to the client via hard drive and digital download.

Period of Performance
The specific period of performance is not detailed in the solicitation.

Place of Performance
Building 10 Bethesda MD 20892 UNITED STATES

Bidder Requirements
Bidders must demonstrate qualifications in providing laboratory services for exosome isolation, RNA purification, and sequencing. Specific requirements regarding staffing credentials or certifications are not explicitly stated but are implied through the need for specialized expertise.