**Statement of Work**

**General description:**

Birth defects affect 5% of all infants born in the United States, and
three-quarters of these involve the head, face, and oral tissues. This
means that in the United States there is a child born every 5 minutes
with a craniofacial defect. While there are several hundred disorders
affecting the face, skull, jaws, and teeth. Other hereditary syndromes,
such as ectodermal dysplasias, are marked by the absence of all or most
teeth in children and adults and lead to lifelong health problems. The
social and economic costs of craniofacial disorders are enormous, and
they place a disproportionately high burden on particular population
subgroups. These disorders are caused by multiple genes interacting with
each other and with environmental factors. Analysis of expression
patterns of developmental stage- and tissue-specific genes in these
tissues is important for identification of genes involved the diseases.
The purpose of the proposed work requirement for this contractor is to
collect gene expression data from developing dental and oral tissues and
analyze them. The objectives are follows:

A. Preparation of tissues and RNA.

Specifically, the contractor shall:

1.  Dissect dental and oral tissues from embryonic wild-type and Epfn
    mutant mice under a regular dissection microscope.

2.  Prepare RNA from tissue samples.

3.  Test the quality of RNA.

B. Analysis.

Specifically, the contractor shall:

1.  Compare gene expression levels in mutant dental and oral tissues of
    both wild-type and Epfn mutant mice using real-time PCR.

2.  Analyze gene profile data obtained from hybridization data using DNA
    microarrays.

C. Period of performance and personnel cost.

The Contractor shall complete the task by January 10, 2008, starting
from November 5, 2007 (total: 9weeks), with a total per diem and travel
cost of \$8,000.

**Contractor requirements:**

Specifically, the contractor shall:

1.  Have knowledge and experience in pathogenesis and handling Epfn
    mutant teeth.

2.  Have experience and knowledge in dental and oral tissue biology and
    gene expression analysis.

3.  Follow all NIH security guidelines as outlined in the DHHS Automated
    Information Systems Security Program (AISSP Handbook version 2.0,
    <http://intranet.hhs.gov/infosec/>).

4.  Follow all aspects of animal care in accordance with the Animal
    Welfare Act of 1966 (PL-89-544), the PHS Policy on the Human Care
    and Use of Animals, The Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory
    Animals (NRC 1996) and all applicable local, state, and federal
    regulations. The contractor shall have the NIH Animal Use and Care
    Training (<http://oacu.od.nih.gov/training/index.htm> ) and approval
    to use the NIDCR animal facility.

**Reporting Requirement:**

The contractor shall submit reports, which shall include the following
information:

1.  Records of experiments, including protocols used and detailed
    information of RNA and tissue sections prepared.

2.  All information regarding data analysis, including summary figures
    and charts.

**Task Description:**

Firm will issue 4 checks on the following days for the following
amounts:

November 16, 2007 \-- \$2,000

November 30, 2007 \-- \$2,000

December 14, 2007 \-- \$2,000

December 28, 2007 \-- \$2,000

Checks will be issued to Dr. Takashi Nakamura as per diem and travel
expenses during his stay at NIDCR. It is estimated that Dr. Takashi
Nakamura will arrive at NIDCR on November 5, 2007 and will depart on
January 10, 2008. A total of \$8,000.00 shall be paid in 4 payments. The
check should be sent via express mail to the NIDCR, to the attention of
Dr. Yoshihiko Yamada at the following address:

Dr. Yoshihiko Yamada

Building 30, Room 407

National Institutes of Health

30 Convent Drive, MSC 4370

Bethesda, MD 20892-4370

Telephone: 301-496-2111

Fax: 301-402-0897

Preparer: Gloria Harris, LCDB, DIR, NIDCR

301-496-5974