SOLICITATION NOTICE
B -- Quantitative Analysis of Longitudinal MR Images in BLSA Participants
- Notice Date
- 5/9/2018
- Notice Type
- Presolicitation
- NAICS
- 541690
— Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Station Support/Simplified Acquisitions, 6001 Executive Boulevard, Room 3165, Bethesda, Maryland, 20892, United States
- ZIP Code
- 20892
- Solicitation Number
- HHS-NIH-NIDA(AG)-PSOL-18-064
- Archive Date
- 6/6/2018
- Point of Contact
- Jon Gottschalk, Phone: (301) 443-9456, Yvette Brown, Phone: (301) 443-2696
- E-Mail Address
-
jon.gottschalk@nih.gov, Yvette.Brown@nih.gov
(jon.gottschalk@nih.gov, Yvette.Brown@nih.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- PRESOLICITATION NOTICE The National Institute on Aging (NIA), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) intends to negotiate under authority of FAR 6.302-1, on a non-competitive, sole source basis, with the University of Pennsylvania, for a contract entitled "Quantitative Analysis of Longitudinal MR Images in BLSA Participants". This notice of intent is not a request for competitive proposals. However, responsible sources may express their interest by submitting a capability statement or proposal. All capability statement/proposals received within fifteen days after date of publication of this synopsis will be considered by the government. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the government. Information received will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. This effort will be for one (1) base year and six (6) option years. This notice is in accordance with the authority 41 U.S.C. 253(c)(1) as set forth in FAR 6.302-1. Since 1958, the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA) has been a major research program conducted by the NIA. The BLSA is a multi- disciplinary study of physiologic and psychological aspects of normal aging in community-dwelling men and women. Active BLSA participants are volunteers who visit the Clinical Unit of the NIA-IRP in Baltimore, MD for testing every 1 to 4 years. Since 1994, we have been conducting a longitudinal brain imaging study of selected older adults in the BLSA to characterize individual differences in longitudinal brain changes, to investigate the extent to which these brain changes underlie individual differences in cognitive aging, to identify brain changes that may be predictors of cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease, and to assess the impact of potential modulators of brain and cognitive aging. As of December 2017, more than 3000 neuroimaging evaluations have been performed for BLSA participants. As part of this research program, it has also been necessary to develop and validate sophisticated tools for analysis of longitudinal neuroimaging data that can be applied in large-scale studies. Thus, this project has involved the development, validation, and refinement of novel image analysis tools and the application of these new tools to longitudinal volumetric MR imaging scans and measures of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) measures of regional cerebral blood flow and amyloid deposition in brain. More recently, these tools include advanced machine learning approaches using pattern analysis to classify clinical status of individuals based on structural and functional brain images. More than 150 publications have resulted from the work of the initial phases of this study. The work of this requirement will continue to focus on the development of sophisticated tools and quantitative analysis of longitudinal structural MRI data acquired from BLSA participants. This project will continue to provide important information for researchers and clinicians on age changes in brain structure, their associations with cognitive change, and factors that modulate these associations, including risk factors for cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease as well as factors that promote the maintenance of cognitive health. Through the use of the existing physical and psychological data for BLSA participants collected over many years, this project will provide unique insights into our understanding of early predictors and the temporal sequence of individual differences in the rate of neuroanatomic, neurophysiologic and cognitive aging. These neuroimaging data will also provide important normative data, including the frequency and extent of brain abnormalities in community-dwelling individuals, from which to evaluate pathological aging. While a number of studies have shown that structural and functional longitudinal changes in specific temporal lobe regions predict cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease, BLSA studies have shown that using networks of information throughout the brain via advance methods of pattern analysis provide greater sensitivity and specificity to predict who is likely to develop cognitive impairment and dementia and who is likely to remain healthy. Thus, the proposed contract will require methods that ensure continuity of research and demonstrate longitudinal consistency of measures of global and regional brain volumes and ischemic lesion volumes, including consistency with MR data acquired during earlier phases of this project (since 1994). This Contract will also require the application and continued development of sophisticated analytic approaches, including machine learning and pattern analysis methods, to allow classification of risk for cognitive impairment on an individual subject basis. This acquisition involves continued work begun under contract HHSN271201500049C. It is necessary to continue quantitative analysis for ongoing collection of MR images to ensure continuity of research on early markers of Alzheimer's disease. The prior acquisition involves processing data through January 2017. The purpose of this requirement is to provide quantitative analysis of structural MR imaging data, including approximately 300 new MR datasets collected each year of the proposed contract. The proposed contract will include more recently acquired MR images from the sample of approximately 70 active BLSA neuroimaging study participants from our original sample age 55 and older (imaging begun in 1994) and will add image analysis of more recently acquired data from the NIA 3T MRI facility, including younger BLSA participants. The addition of comparable MRI data from younger participants as part of routine BLSA visits and expansion of the MR imaging sample will allow investigation of age-related changes throughout adulthood. This acquisition involves continuing quantitative analysis on BLSA multi-modal longitudinal images. It is necessary to continue this contract to ensure continuity of research and to maintain longitudinal consistency of image processing using the same methods over time. The University of Pennsylvania, Center for Biomedical Computing and Imaging Analytics and Section on Biomedical Image Analysis is a leader in the field of medical image analysis. The university has developed advanced pattern analysis techniques for analysis of longitudinal neuroimages, optimized for BLSA images, and have applied these methods to BLSA MR data including data acquired on scanners at different site and from different vendors. These methods are necessary to maintain longitudinal consistency and continuity of analysis methods for BLSA MR data and thus no other institution or commercial lab can perform the requirements of this study. This proposed acquisition was previously publicized under sources sought notice HHS-NIH-NIDA(AG)-SBSS-18-064. All responsible sources may submit a proposal which will be considered by the agency. This notice does not commit the Government to award a contract. No collect calls will be accepted. No facsimile transmissions will be accepted. Contracting Office Address: Contracts Management Branch 6001 Executive Blvd, Rm 3163 Bethesda, Maryland 20892-9661 Place of Performance: Center on Biomedical Image Analysis Department of Radiology University of Pennsylvania 3600 Market Street, Suite 380 Philadelphia PA 19104 DUNS number: 042250712
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/HHS/NIH/NIDA-2/HHS-NIH-NIDA(AG)-PSOL-18-064/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, Maryland, 20892, United States
- Zip Code: 20892
- Zip Code: 20892
- Record
- SN04916725-W 20180511/180509230839-d8dcfd8c1dd0775f488f229b9dd6131f (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
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