Ultrafast Microscope Camera -7-29-2026.docx

STATEMENT OF WORK / REQUIREMENTS DOCUMENT

TITLE: Ultra High-Speed Camera System for Multispectral Light Scattering Microscopy REQUESTING DIVISION: OU 63 – MML / 644 Biosystems and Biomaterials Division

1. BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The gene therapy manufacturing innovations in measurement sciences (IMS) project, in the Biosystems and Biomaterials Division, within the Material Measurement Laboratory of the National Institute of Standards and technology, pursues the goal of developing light scattering microscopy methods to characterize gene delivery particles. Emerging gene therapy treatments use gene delivery nanoparticles, such as viral vectors and non-viral carriers, to cure intractable diseases. These manufactured particles suffer heterogeneity issues that hinder treatment efficacy and safety. This project aims to develop light-scattering microscopy methods to enable rapid, multi-attribute measurements of individual gene therapy nanoparticles’ physical characteristics. Such measurements will speed the development of new gene therapy treatments and improve their efficacy and safety.

Essential to this work, we will need to build a custom multispectral light scattering imaging system that can be compared with traditional microscopy modes of wide-field fluorescence and transmitted light. To support this system, a super high-speed camera is required to quickly switch laser light wavelengths for imaging moving nanoparticles in solution. This requires a scientific-grade camera with extremely specific performance parameters, including high fullwell capacity, high dynamic range, flexible speed by Region of Interest (ROI) adjustment, low non-linearity, liquid cooling to mitigate vibration, and specific software interoperability with existing laboratory Python codebases.

2. SPECIFICATIONS

The Contractor shall provide one (1) high-speed camera system, and one (1) set of user operation and maintenance manuals, in either electronic or hardcopy format, that meets the following minimum technical requirements.

System Requirements

· High-Speed Imaging and Resolution:

· The camera must be capable of true high-speed imaging at a full 3.6 Megapixel (MP) resolution.

· The camera must achieve a minimum of 2,166 frames per second (fps) at full resolution.

· The system must support real-time, uncompressed streaming via an 8x10 Gb Camera Link HS (FOL) interface to eliminate internal memory limitations.

· The camera must feature wide speed flexibility via Region of Interest (ROI) adjustments, capable of reaching up to 56,338 fps with vertical ROI reduction.

· Sensor and Image Quality:

· The sensor must feature large pixels of at least 11 µm x 11 µm to ensure high sensitivity.

· The camera must utilize a global shutter mechanism to guarantee distortion-free capture of fast motion.

· The camera must output 10-bit uncompressed data for maximum analysis integrity and dynamic range.

· The camera must guarantee a low non-linearity of <0.4% for scientific measurement accuracy.

· Selectable Gain Modes:

· The camera must offer two selectable gain modes (low-gain and high-gain) that are freely selectable depending on the application in all modes.

· Low-Gain Mode: Must provide a high fullwell capacity of at least 60,000 e⁻, a readout noise of <65 e⁻, and must be optimized for maximum dynamic range (up to 60 dB).

· High-Gain Mode: Must provide a fullwell capacity of at least 10,000 e⁻ and a readout noise of <12 e⁻ for low-light and high-sensitivity applications.

· Hardware and Cooling:

· The camera must include an integrated liquid cooling system to ensure vibration-free operation during sensitive nanoscale microscopy measurements.

· Software and Integration:

· The camera must be fully compatible with pco.camware software.

· The camera must include a full Software Development Kit (SDK) suite with support for C++, Python, LabVIEW, Matlab, and Java.

· The camera's SDK must be fully interoperable with the laboratory's existing custom Python control software without requiring codebase modifications.

Warranty:

The Contractor shall provide, at a minimum, a one year warranty for the equipment. The warranty shall cover all parts, labor and travel. The warranty shall commence upon government acceptance.

3. DELIVERY TERMS

Delivery shall be F.O.B Destination and shall occur within 120 calendar days of award.

F.O.B. Destination means: The contractor shall pack and mark the shipment in conformance with carrier requirements, deliver the shipment in good order and condition to the point of delivery specified in the purchase order, be responsible for any loss of and/or damage to the goods occurring before receipt and acceptance of the shipment by the consignee at the delivery point specified in the order, and pay all charges to the specified point of delivery.

Delivery shall occur during normal business hours, between 8:30 am and 5:00 pm Eastern time, Monday through Friday, with the exception of Federal holidays and shall be made to:

National Institute of Standards and Technology 100 Bureau Drive Building/Room Gaithersburg, MD 20899

ATTN:

4. DELIVERABLE Schedule

Description (and Format)

Microscope camera system (Ship to NIST)

Operations and maintenance manual for the analytical instrument (Hardcopy or electronic) One (1) set

5. INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA

Formal inspection and acceptance of the system shall be given at the time the NIST Subject Matter Expert (SME) demonstrates that the technical requirements have been met, and no later than 30 calendar days from delivery. The NIST COR shall review all deliverables and determine if these criteria are met.

6. PAYMENT TERMS

The Contractor shall be paid, in accordance with Net 30-day payment terms, upon receipt and acceptance of a proper invoice, in accordance with the following schedule:

The Government anticipates payment after 100% inspection and acceptance by the Government. NOTE: Partial shipments and partial invoices will not be accepted, unless otherwise requested and accepted by the Contracting Officer prior to award. Proposed payment schedules shall be submitted with the offeror’s response to the official solicitation for consideration.