Liquid Chromatography High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry for Drug Discovery

Summary

University of Toronto (St. George) seeks a high-resolution mass spectrometer coupled with HPLC to support an enantioselective affinity-selection MS (E-ASMS) high-throughput drug-discovery platform in Toronto, ON. System must provide high resolving power, mass accuracy and throughput to distinguish pooled small molecules (m/z ~150–550) and include delivery, installation, training and support.

From the notice

Notice of Intended Procurement NAME OF PROCURING ENTITY The Governing Council of the University of Toronto (the “University”) CONTACT PERSON AND CONTRACT PERSON COORDINATES Renee Cheng 150 College Street, 3rd Floor, Room 350, Toronto ON M5S 1A2 reneeke.cheng@utoronto.ca PROCUREMENT DOCUMENTS The procurement documents are available at www.merx.com. Note that obtaining access to the procurement documents will require prospective suppliers to register and pay a registration fee. Pricing and Payment Terms are available on the MERX website. DESCRIPTION OF PROCUREMENT Innovative high-throughput screening approaches are needed to accelerate early-stage drug discovery. The Peng group recently developed an enantioselective affinity-selection mass spectrometry (E-ASMS) platform that enables the identification of small-molecule binders to proteins with unprecedented throughput and sensitivity (Wang et al., Nat. Commun., 2025). Over the next five years, we aim to further scale up the E-ASMS platform by systematically identifying small molecule binders for 2,000 human proteins. The resulting high-quality datasets will be made openly available through our recently established AIRCHECK database (https://aircheck.ai/) to support AI-driven drug discovery (Edwards et al., Nat. Rev. Chem., 2025). To achieve this goal, we seek to purchase a High-Resolution Mass Spectrometer (HRMS) coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) that provides the selectivity, sensitivity, and throughput required for the E-ASMS platform. In our assay, to increase throughput, thousands of drug-like compounds with similar molecular weights (i.e., ∆m<0.005 Da, m/z ranging from 150 to 550) are screened simultaneously in pooled samples. Therefore, the mass spectrometer should possess sufficient resolving power and mass accuracy to distinguish structurally related compounds and enable reliable identification of small molecule binders. The procurement is anticipated to involve negotiation. An electronic auction is not anticipated. ADDRESS AND FINAL DATE FOR SUBMISSIONS Submissions must be submitted electronically at https://utoronto.bonfirehub.ca/ on or before Tuesday, August 18, 2026 (2:00 PM local time). The submissions will not be opened publicly. CONDITIONS FOR PARTICIPATION The procurement is subject to the following conditions for participation: Please see Schedule A to the RFP Data Sheet, Section 6.2.(2). APPLICABLE TRADE AGREEMENTS This procurement is subject to the following trade agreement(s): The Canadian Free Trade Agreement, Chapter Five The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, Chapter 19 The Ontario-Quebec Trade and Cooperation Agreement, Chapter 9 CONTRACT DETAILS The term will be an initial period of one (1) year, with the option to renew for up to four (4) additional terms of one (1) year each. EVALUATION CRITERIA The University will base its selection of qualified suppliers on the following criteria: Schedule D Part 1 Technical Submission Requirements Weight B.1 Experience and Qualifications 5 B.2 Technical Requirements B.2.1 Liquid Chromatography 8 B.2.2 Core Analytical Performance (HRMS) 19 B.2.3 Acquisition & Workflow Flexibility (HRMS) 7 B.2.4 Sensitivity & Quantitative Performance (HRMS) 7 B.2.5 Infrastructure and Power Protection 4 B.2.6 Computer Workstation 2 B.2.7 Software 4 B.2.8 Regulatory and Industry Standards Compliance 1 B.3 Delivery, Installation and Testing 7 B.4 Training Requirements 7 B.5 Warranty and Extended Warranty Services 9 Schedule D Part 2 Financial Submission 20 Total 100 Optional Presentation 15 Total (Incl. Optional Presentation) 115 NOTES Suppliers should note that information contained within this notice is subject to change. Suppliers are encouraged to obtain the procurement documents which contain the most current information. If there is a conflict between the procurement documents and this notice, the procurement documents will take precedence.

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