STEMvision™ Automated CFU Reader

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) intends to award a sole-source purchase order to StemCell Technologies, Inc. for one STEMvision Automated CFU Reader system, with responses due by September 10, 2026, at 12:00 PM ET.

The NHLBI's Regenerative Therapies for Inherited Blood Disorders Lab seeks to replace manual Colony-Forming Unit assay analysis, currently performed via inverted light microscopy, with an automated system to eliminate observer variability, reduce technician bias, and improve research reproducibility. The STEMvision system must deliver automated, high-resolution imaging with algorithms to identify and classify hematopoietic colonies (erythroid, myeloid, and mixed) in 6-well plate formats, processing a complete plate in 5 to 10 minutes. The system must be optimized for meniscus-free cultureware (SmartDish) and methylcellulose media (MethoCult), provide permanent digital records for audit trail compliance, and include pre-validated algorithms for human or mouse hematopoietic assays.

StemCell Technologies is justified as sole source on the basis that it is the only manufacturer with proprietary depth-of-field optics, multi-angle illumination, and lineage-specific algorithms necessary to image and classify three-dimensional hematopoietic progenitor colonies. The procurement includes one STEMvision Unit with 1-year warranty and four analysis packs (Part Number 22010) and one STEMvision Mouse Algorithm Bundle (Part Number 22012). Delivery is required to the Clinical Research Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Offerors must provide unit price, list price, shipping costs, delivery period, payment terms, F.O.B. point, UEI, TIN, and business size certification; all must maintain active SAM registration. The acquisition is conducted under FAR Part 12 (commercial products and services) under solicitation number 75N98026Q01143 (NAICS 334516, PSC 6640).