Development and Validation of an Antibody for Detection of Lysine Homocysteinylation in Cobalamin Disorders
Overview
Buyer
Place of Performance
NAICS
PSC
Set Aside
Original Source
Timeline
Qualification Details
Fit reasons
- NAICS alignment with historical contract wins in similar service areas.
- Scope strongly matches core technical capabilities and delivery model.
Risks
- Past performance thresholds may require one additional teaming partner.
- Potential clarification needed on staffing minimums before bid/no-bid.
Next steps
Validate eligibility requirements, assign capture owner, and schedule partner outreach to confirm teaming strategy before submission planning.
Quick Summary
The National Institutes of Health (NIH), under the Department of Health and Human Services, has issued a Presolicitation for the Development and Validation of an Antibody for Detection of Lysine Homocysteinylation in Cobalamin Disorders. This effort aims to advance biomedical research on rare genetic diseases and precision medicine by developing a novel, custom antibody. This is a Total Small Business Set-Aside. Responses are due by June 13, 2026.
Purpose & Objective
The primary objective is to support the U.S. Government's mission to advance biomedical research on rare genetic diseases, improve public health outcomes, and accelerate precision medicine approaches. This will be achieved by developing a novel post-translational modification (PTM)-specific antibody against N-homocysteine-lysine (N-homocysteinylation), which is currently not commercially available.
Scope of Work
This project requires the generation of a custom antibody and involves several key tasks:
- Peptide Synthesis: Synthesize and purify peptide antigens with N-homocysteinylated lysine residues and matched control peptides with unmodified lysines.
- Immunization Preparation: Conjugate peptides to carrier proteins (e.g., KLH) for immunization.
- Antibody Generation: Immunize appropriate host species (rabbit for polyclonal antibody generation) and generate polyclonal sera prior to immunization and 2-3 times after antigen boost.
- Testing & Validation: Test sera on lab samples of N-homocysteinylated proteins from mouse models of MMACHC deficiency and perform ELISA screening on modified and unmodified peptides.
- Purification: Perform terminal bleeds on immunized animals and purify the working antibody from serum.
- Characterization: Utilize the working antibody to characterize proteins affected by this aberrant post-translational modification to better understand disease development and inform future targeted therapies.
Deliverables
- A working antibody specific to N-homocysteine-lysine.
- Characterization data of proteins affected by N-homocysteinylation to aid in understanding disease development.
Contract & Timeline
- Type: Presolicitation
- Set-Aside: Total Small Business Set-Aside (FAR 19.5)
- Response Due: June 13, 2026, 1:00 PM EDT
- Published Date: June 3, 2026
- Place of Performance: Maryland (MD), 20892, United States
Contact Information
For inquiries, contact John Burton at burtonjo@mail.nih.gov.