Description of the goods or services required
Europe’s top cancer charity, Cancer Research UK, has combined with the University of Cambridge to fund the world class Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, situated on the Addenbrooke’s Biomedical Campus in Cambridge. As part of the University of Cambridge School Of Clinical Medicine, the Institute’s research ranges from basic cancer biology through translational cancer research to clinical application. The Institute currently houses over 350 researchers and support staff with 20 research groups. It provides a highly collaborative, multi-disciplinary environment in cancer research, with state-of-the-art facilities and core scientific resources, and good links with the scientific community of Cambridge.
The Institute has had a strong focus on in-vivo imaging since its opening, both developing technology and applying it in cutting-edge cancer models. Its equipment includes two in-vivo optical imaging systems for small animals. These are currently used for standard luciferase-based and AkaLumine bioluminescence imaging (BLI) as well as development of fluorescence substrates, and Cerenkov imaging ex-vivo.
The instruments (Xenogen IVIS 200 and IVIS Lumina) manufactured by Xenogen and Caliper life science, who were later bought by PerkinElmer, are more than 10 years old and are reaching obsolescence, with some components no longer replaceable in case of failure.
This tender therefore seeks bids for either or both of two lots: a high-end, flexible and powerful instrument to replace the Xenogen IVIS 200, and a simpler instrument to replace the IVIS Lumina.
The instruments will form part of the Imaging Core Facility, and the in-vivo optical imaging systems are currently one of the more heavily used modalities with the largest number of different users (more than 20 persons in 8 research groups in total). The IVIS 200 is used on average every working day and at high peak the instrument is used several times a day by multi-users. The University therefore requires a high level of reliability for this system, backed up by quick service response in the case of breakdown. The replacement system should be capable of simultaneous imaging of at least 5 mice or 3 rats, and be capable of highly flexible fluorescence imaging (FLI). The Xenogen Lumina supports research on PET/SPECT by Prof Kevin Brindle’s group, and is primarily used for luciferin and Cerenkov radiation imaging; FLI capability is required, but with simpler capabilities than the replacement for the IVIS 200.
The department requires two new current generation in-vivo optical imaging suitable for imaging mice and rats to replace their Xenogen IVIS 200 (Lot 1) and Xenogen IVIS Lumina (Lot 2)
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