NIAID Solicitation Seeks Preclinical Animal, Animal-Replacement Models

To facilitate research to understand, control, and prevent human disease caused by infectious agents, NIAID seeks qualified organizations that provide the capacity and capability needed to develop, refine, and use animal and animal replacement models to assess candidate therapeutics, vaccines, and diagnostics targeted at infectious diseases and to generate difficult-to-source reagents requiring an in vivo model. Read NIAID’s Preclinical Models of Infectious Diseases solicitation if you are interested in submitting a contract proposal.

In 2017, 32 offerors were awarded base contracts under the Preclinical Models of Infectious Diseases indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract program. Under an IDIQ contract, NIAID issues task orders to the contractor as the government’s needs are realized. The contractor is guaranteed a minimum amount, and the collective orders issued under the base IDIQ may not exceed the stated maximum.

Through the current solicitation, NIAID invites proposals in the following areas:

• Task Area A – Small Animal Models of Infectious Diseases
• Task Area B – Nonhuman Primate Models of Infectious Diseases
• Task Area C – Animal Replacement and Nontraditional Animal Models of Infectious Diseases
• Task Area D – Generation and Distribution of Specialized Reagents

Within those areas, NIAID seeks the following services:

Task Area A (Small Animal Models)

• Develop new and refine existing models amenable for evaluating candidate countermeasures.
• Evaluate candidate countermeasures, including maximum tolerated dose, minimum effective dose, safety, efficacy, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics.

Task Area B (Nonhuman Primate Models)

• Develop new and refine existing models amenable for evaluating candidate countermeasures.
• Evaluate candidate countermeasures, including maximum tolerated dose, minimum effective dose, safety, efficacy, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics.

Task Area C (Animal Replacement and Nontraditional Animal Models)

• Develop new and refine existing models amenable for evaluating candidate countermeasures.
• Evaluate candidate countermeasures, including maximum tolerated dose, minimum effective dose, safety, efficacy, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics.
• Conduct studies to bridge animal and corresponding animal replacement models.

Task Area D (Specialized Reagents)

• Produce live life cycle stages for parasitic infections (e.g., eggs, pupae, larvae, adult stage parasites).
• Produce live vectors that support life cycle stages of parasitic infections (e.g., mosquitoes, ticks, fleas, black flies, sand flies, tsetse flies, reduviid bugs).
• Produce tissues required for isolation of otherwise unculturable infectious agents or toxins that can be distributed as reagents.
• Produce monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies and hybridomas in mice.

After award, on a case-by-case basis, model species not included within the Task Areas above may be developed if demonstrated to be necessary and the government determines they are beneficial for testing medical countermeasures.

Refer to the solicitation for a list of infectious diseases of priority for NIAID, which includes:

• RNA viruses with the potential to cause pandemics
• Antimicrobial resistant and multi-drug resistant infections
• Fungal diseases
• Neglected tropical diseases
• Sexually transmitted diseases

Contractors may arrange to leverage expertise and resources of other organizations or persons through consortia agreements, partnerships, subcontracts, or consultants. However, contractors will be responsible for all work performed as well as project planning, initiation, implementation, management, and communication; evaluation, selection, and management of subcontractors; and for all deliverables specified in this contract and each awarded Task Order.

Offerors may submit proposals for multiple Task Areas or more than one proposal for the same Task Area.

Proposals are due by May 4, 2023, at 3:30 p.m. Eastern time. Submit your proposal using NIH’s electronic Contract Proposal Submission (eCPS) system.