Announcement of an Exempt Purchase

Three model ECIS-ZTheta Controller systems. The ECIS-ZTheta controllers systems enable the measurement of the barrier function of isolated cells.

This purchase is exempt from the usual selection processes of the Procurement Code because the procurement expenditure is for performing sponsored research and other sponsored activities under grants and contracts funded by the sponsor or by sources other than State appropriations. (30 ILCS 500 / 1-13(b)(8)) Our research is focused on understanding how blood vessels in the brain contribute to neurodegenerative disorders to develop therapeutic strategies. The ECIS Z (Z theta) is an advanced, automated, non-invasive means to monitor cell behavior in real-time and without the use of labels. This purchase is for three ECIS Z Theta Controller systems. Two of these are funded by NIH grant R61NS124970 and the 3rd is paid by ICR funds per the grant agreement. These will generate data necessary to submit the R33 grant proposal contingent to the completion of this project, which in turn will generate additional funding for the University and lead to further successful grant funding and collaborations within and outside the University.