Tuberculosis (TB)—caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB)—continues to be a public health burden and global threat. The number of cases is staggering: In 2019 alone, there were over 10 million new cases of TB infection worldwide, 1.2 million of which were in people with HIV.
Early, accurate, and rapid diagnosis of MTB infection to facilitate screening and triage, improving case detection, and initiating effective treatment regimens are all crucial to ending the TB epidemic.
To support these efforts, a new request for proposals (RFP) seeks contractors who can provide an MTB Quality Assessment (TBQA) Program, which is a resource to:
- Support the ability of labs to reliably perform study-specified MTB tests
- Evaluate MTB technologies and specimen processes for use in clinical investigations
- Disseminate technical and scientific data
- Perform late-stage assay validation and/or MTB assay testing of clinical samples in a CLIA-certified laboratory (Option)
- Support public health emergency needs (Option)
The TBQA will serve NIAID-sponsored and collaborating clinical trial networks and cohorts as well as individual grantees conducting research in and outside the United States, e.g., Adult Advancing Clinical Therapeutics Globally for HIV/AIDS and Other Infections (ACTG), the International Maternal Pediatric and Adolescent AIDS Clinical Trials Group (IMPAACT), and the HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN). NIAID-sponsored TB cohorts include the India and Brazil Regional Prospective Observational Research for Tuberculosis (RePORT).
Details and Due Date
For complete RFP details, see Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) Quality Assessment (TBQA) Program.
NIAID anticipates awarding one cost reimbursement, term/level of effort, type contract for a 1-year period of performance (base period) plus six 1-year options to extend the term of the contract for a total possible period of performance of 7 years, beginning October 16, 2023.
Proposals are due November 30, 2022, by 3 p.m. Eastern Time. Submit online through NIH’s electronic Contract Proposal Submission (eCPS) site.
Questions?
To learn more about NIAID’s research interests in this area, go to Tuberculosis—Information for Researchers.
For inquiries about the contents of the solicitation, contact Isaac Elliott at Isaac.elliott@nih.gov.