Effect of Radiation Quality and Galactic Cosmic Radiation Simulation on the Risk of Carcinogenesis in an Outbred Mouse Model (HS/Npt)

Quick Summary

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Johnson Space Center has issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) 80JSC026R0010 for research services titled "Effect of Radiation Quality and Galactic Cosmic Radiation Simulation on the Risk of Carcinogenesis in an Outbred Mouse Model (HS/Npt)." This unrestricted opportunity seeks to study the impact of space radiation on cancer development in mice, providing critical data for future NASA investigations. Offers are due by March 13, 2026, at 1:00 PM CST.

Scope of Work

The primary objective is to determine the effects of radiation quality, dose, and dose rate on cancer initiation, promotion, and progression in outbred HS/Npt mice. Key activities include:

• Designing and executing experiments using approximately 3,500 male and female HS/Npt mice.
• Conducting radiation exposures at the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory (NSRL), including gamma irradiation, full Galactic Cosmic Ray (GCR) simulation, and single-ion exposures.
• Performing survival, tumor incidence, and tumor spectrum analyses.
• Comprehensive tissue collection, preservation, and metadata management, with biobanking of specified samples.
• Preparing interim and final reports. Optional deliverables include assessing cardiovascular and CNS outcomes, dose-rate effects, and sex-specific responses. NASA will provide animal breeding, shipping to NSRL, and beam time; the contractor will budget for animal housing, travel, experimental execution, and sample processing.

Contract Details

• Solicitation Number: 80JSC026R0010
• Type: Request for Proposal (RFP) / Combined Synopsis/Solicitation
• Set-Aside: Unrestricted
• NAICS: 541715 (Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology))
• Size Standard: 1000 employees
• Product Service Code: AN21 (Health R&D Services; Health Research And Training; Basic Research)
• Period of Performance: April 1, 2026, to March 31, 2030
• Contract Type: Firm Fixed Price (for the base cancer testing component)
• Place of Performance: Houston, TX, and NASA Space Radiation Laboratory (NSRL) for exposures.

Submission & Evaluation

• Questions Due: February 27, 2026, 1:00 PM CST
• Offers Due: March 13, 2026, 1:00 PM CST
• Submission: Electronically via email to joshua.r.hlavenka@nasa.gov and katelyn.r.jaime@nasa.gov.
• Evaluation Factors (descending order of importance):
  1. Technical Acceptability: Scientific and technical merit, relevance to objectives, ability to evaluate radiation effects.
  2. Past Performance: Up to three references and biosketches for key personnel.
  3. Price: Reasonableness, completeness, and consideration of option periods. Technical Acceptability and Past Performance, when combined, are significantly more important than Price. Offerors must also pass initial "Yes/No" key RFQ requirements.

Key Attachments

• Performance Work Statement (PWS): Details research objectives, scope, and deliverables.
• NSRL Information: Provides details on the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory.
• GCR Sim Table: Defines parameters for Galactic Cosmic Ray simulation.
• Evaluation Criteria: Outlines the two-step evaluation process.
• Pricing Sheet: Template for cost submission.
• Tissue Collection Description: Specifies requirements for biospecimen collection and preservation.