University of Alberta - Advanced Contract Award Notice / Notice of Proposed Procurement - Automated Box Microscope for Live cell Imaging

The Department is requesting to purchase Automated Box Microscope for Live cell Imaging from Carl Zeiss Canada Ltd due to exclusive patented technologies required for High-Throughput Screening (HTS) and live-cell imaging workflows involving 384-well drug-target screening and infectious agent research. The required system must provide automated spherical aberration correction, high-resolution wide-field imaging, automated immersion fluid management, and integrated contamination control capabilities that are protected by multiple ZEISS patents. These patented technologies are essential to maintain image quality, throughput, and sample viability during unattended multi-day screening runs. The system’s large field of view combined with high-resolution NA 1.2 imaging enables acquisition of the required cellular data in a minimal number of images per well, reducing exposure time and minimizing phototoxicity to maintain live-cell viability within the required biological screening timeframe. As these patented features are legally exclusive to the ZEISS Celldiscoverer 7 and are essential to the success, safety, and operational feasibility of the research program, the instrument is required to support the project’s high-throughput live-cell imaging and infectious agent screening workflows. For these reasons, Carl Zeiss Canada Ltd. meets the requirements for a Competitive Bid Exemption under the patent rights condition, as the required technologies and automated functionalities are protected by exclusive patents essential to the research application.