Notice of Intent to Award a Sole- Source Purchase Order: Bio-Rad ChemiDoc™ MP Imaging System

NIEHS requires a gel imaging platform that provides fluorescence, chemiluminescence, and colorimetric capabilities for gel and western blot assays in a single system. NIEHS requires that the chemiluminescence capability work with standard ECL reagents. Additionally, NIEHS requires this platform to work with common, not proprietary, fluorescent secondary antibodies as well as common buffers and reagents. The Bio-Rad ChemiDoc MP Imaging System provides fluorescence, chemiluminescence, and colorimetric capabilities for gel and western blot assays in a single system. Its chemiluminescence capability works with standard ECL reagents, eliminating the need to purchase film and use film developers which would help reduce the hazardous waste generated at NIEHS. Additionally, unlike other commercial imaging systems, the ChemiDoc system works with a wide range of common fluorescent secondary antibodies. Other systems require the purchase of their proprietary antibodies and other reagents such as blocking buffer. With the ChemiDoc system a secondary antibody that NIEHS purchases for cell imaging can also be used for western blots; this helps reduce lab costs, space needed to store antibodies and allows NIEHS to keep using its own buffers that it makes at no additional cost to the lab. Additionally, NIEHS already uses Bio-Rad stain free gels and using those gels with this system provides NIEHS with the normalization of bands to total protein in both gels and blots; eliminating the need for housekeeping proteins, which also helps reduce cost, time and work.