D_75N95019Q00119_Purchase_Description.pdf

PURCHASE DESCRIPTION

75N95019Q00119

Title: On-chip Sort microfluidic cell sorter and accessories, or brand-name equal

The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) at the National Institues of

Health (NIH) seeks to purchase one (1) x On-chip Sort microfluidic cell sorter and accessories, or brand-name equal, for scientists to perform damage-free sorting of sensitive pluripotent stem cells for a range of end-point assays that require the highest possible level of viability preservation, especially single-cell genomic analyses like RNA sequencing and DNA copy number variant analysis.

This cell sorter leverages microfluidics to achieve low shear forces applied to cells. Unlike traditional cell sorters that put the sorted cells under a significant amount of stress (from high-pressure fluidics, application of a static charge to droplets encapsulating the cells, and the impact from a high travel speed from the nozzle to the target vessel into which the cells are being sorted), this sorter provides damage-free sorting that enables obtaining single-cell suspension with the highest level of viability preservation. This sorter achieves this at a fraction of the time that is normally needed for repeated manual washes of the suspension which compromises viability, genomic integrity and introduces drastic changes to the expression profiles. Three detection lasers allow for simultaneous sorting based on fluorescently labeled antibodies to obtain pure populations of interest. The resulting single-cell suspension will consequently have the highest possible quality and will enable accurate measurements reflecting the true biological mechanisms while leveraging the full potential of the existing single-cell analysis equipment.

The brand name items and accessories (On-chip Biotechnologies Co., Ltd) include:

Brand Name item Description Catalog No. Qty

On-chip Sort

HSG

Microfluidic cell sorter 362S3001G 1

2D Chip-Z1001 80μm-wide Sorting chip 1002004 15

2D Chip-Z1000-w150 150μm-wide Sorting chip 1002005 1

On-chip Sheath

(HEPES)

Sheath

2001012 3

On-chip Sample buffer (HEPES) Buffer (HEPES) 2001013 3

Sample Buffer 2x

(PBS base) Buffer 2x (PBS base) 2001015 2

Installation and

Training

On-site installation within 12-16 weeks after receipt of order. One-day training for four (4) participants that includes hands-on experience and mastery of the instrument operation and maintenance, and experimental design and data analysis.

N/A 1

Service contract

One-year service contract with purchase, and two option periods.

Service contract includes annual inspection, part replacement as needed, application of oil and cleaning of parts, inspection and adjustment of optical parts, overall operational inspection, software updates installation, and cleaning of chip holder.

N/A 1

Brand name or equal liquid handling systems and accessories must have the following salient characteristics:

The On-chip Sort system must be capable of sorting large structures like pluripotent stem cell-derived spheroids, neuroshperes, embryoid bodies, and organoids. It is critical that all fluids be handled on a sterile and disposable microfluidic chip, to allow for damage-free, contamination-free, and maintenance-free sorting of sensitive cells like pluripotent stem cells or neurons.

Microfluidic chips for sorting must be the following sizes: 80μm × 80μm size channel chip for cells up to 60μm; and 150μm × 150μm size channel chip for large particles up to 130μm. The sorting method must involve gentle but rapid generation of liquid pulses at the sorting junction that pushes only the target cells into the collection chamber. The sorting chips must be sterile, disposable and have no limitations in buffer or media selection (including oil). The unsorted cells must be able to be recovered from the waste slot and re-sorted if necessary.

It is imperative that the microfluidic cell sorter be capable of containing microfluidics on the disposable chip. The fluidics in the chip must be operated by applying air pressure so that the sheath fluid in the chip does not come into contact with the instrument. This allows fast turnaround of samples with no cleaning or maintenance in between and eliminates cross-contamination. Simply having a microfluidic component in the fluidics path will not suffice since such a system still suffers from the drawbacks of traditional cell sorting – shear forces resulting from high-pressure suspension flow, application of electrical charge and high-voltage deflection, impact forces in the collection vessels. The sorting mechanism must be based on liquid pulsing instead of application of charge and deflection. This allows for a wider selection of buffers, including viscous ones used in single-cell genomic analyses. The sorter must feature at least 3 lasers, at least 6 fluorescent colors detectable and forward/side-scatter detectors to interrogate cells and make sort decisions.

The microfluidic cell sorter and accessories must be compatible with the 10X Genomics

Chromium Controller and the Fluidigm Helios Mass Cytometer.

One or more of the items under this acquisition is subject to the World Trade Organization

Government Procurement Agreement and Free Trade Agreements.

Delivery and installation are to occur within 16 weeks after receipt of order. The exact date and time of installation shall be coordinated with the NCATS Point of Contact listed on the purchase order. Delivery shall be made to the below address with FOB Destination.

National Center for the Advancement of Translational Sciences

9800 Medical Center Drive

Rockville, MD 20850

The total period of performance for the service contract is three years, including one 12-month base period and two 12-month option periods.