0238-DST-High Content Screening System with Confocal and Widefield Modalities

<p>The Catapult centres are a network of world-leading centres designed to transform the UK’s capability for innovation in specific areas and help drive future economic growth (https://catapult.org.uk/catapult-centres/). Catapults provide businesses with access to their expertise, facilities and equipment, enabling them to test, demonstrate and improve their ideas.</p>
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<p>The Medicines Discovery Catapult (MDC) is a national facility connecting the UK medicines community to accelerate innovative drug discovery. Funded by Innovate UK, an agency of the UK government, MDC is an independent not-for-profit company bringing together industry, academia, charities, technologists, services, finance companies, SMEs and start-ups who together can turn good science into new, high value products.</p>
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<p>MDC provides unique scientific capabilities and acts as a gateway to UK resources and expertise, supporting UK SMEs to drive the development and industrialisation of new approaches for the discovery of new medicines. By validating new ways of discovering medicines and driving key talent and expertise across the sector, MDC supports the UK life sciences industry, SMEs and innovators to deliver growth for the UK economy and maintain the UK’s heritage position as a global leader in medicines research and development.</p>
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<p>The Advanced Technologies team at the Medicines Discovery Catapult (MDC) is looking to expand its current advanced microscopy facility to support both our own growing needs and provide the UK SME community access to advanced molecular and cellular imaging. MDC is aiming purchase a confocal High Content Screening (HCS) instrument based on an automated well-plate inverted microscope, together with confocal and widefield functionalities. It is crucial for the HCS system to be flexible and provide fast and high-resolution imaging of a wide range of experiments. The specification should be configured to enable the use of different sample formats (2D and 3D cell models, tissue sections, fixed and live-cell) and experimental types (drug dose responses, live-cell kinetic studies, phenotypic screening, RNA scope), using a large variety of well-plate formats and a wide range of fluorophores. In addition, the HCS instrument must be supplied with a high-end solution for high content image analysis, visualization and handling. The contract is for the supply, delivery, installation, and maintenance of a confocal HSC system.</p>