National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Acquisitions Management Branch, 79 T.W. Alexander Drive, Building 4401 Research Commons, P.O. Box 12874, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709

66 -- DOUBLE-PALLET MICROARRAYER FOR THE NATIONAL HUMAN GENOME RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH SOL 273-99-P-0010 POC Contact Mary W. McConnell, Contract Specialist (919) 541-3813 WEB: None, None. E-MAIL: None, None. The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) intends to negotiate on a sole source basis with the Beecher Instruments company to acquire a double-pallet microarrayer which features include: automatic stacker/loader for 20 or more Microtitre trays; XYZ robot for dispensing with 10 micron precision; removable pens with 100 micron diameter hard alloy pen tips, of a design prove to last for at least 20,000 taps; wash/dry station and controls; completely enclosed for safety, and control of cleanliness and humidity; circulating HEPA filtered clean air system; feedback controlled humidity control system +/- 2% RH; computer and software for system control, substantially similar to existing system to facilitate ease of use by existing operators; user may set number of slides, tray, pens, and copies, as well as various speed and acceleration parameters, and duration of wash and dry cycles; two removable vacuum chucks, each capable of holding 48 standard microscope slides; typical cycle time becomes approximately 150 seconds for each run through 96 slides with one load of cDNA, including wash/dry and load time; prespotting station" capable of handling 12 slides and with software that allows twice the spacing between dots as on the large pallets, with a pause to change the Prespotting slides at specified points through the run; capability to use 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, or 12 pens; and microtitre trays to be presented to "portrait", rather than landscape mode to allow access to rows rather than columns of titre trays. It is to be installed and tuned up in purchaser's laboratory at the NHGRI in Bethesda, MD. Authority: 41 U.S.C. 253(c)(1), as set forth in FAR 6.302-1. See Numbered Note 22.***** Posted 04/23/99 (W-SN323842). (0113)

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