Before you ship

Sample shipping and packaging

How to package, label and send your samples so they arrive in the condition they left in: dry ice and ambient shipments, tube and plate formats, paperwork, and the submission form that travels with them.

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Before you ship

The Sample Submission Form

Every shipment needs a completed Sample Submission Form: electronic (emailed ahead) or on paper with the samples. Sample names on the form must match the labels on the tubes exactly, in name and in quantity. Please also email an electronic copy of the form and any QC data you already have (concentration, OD ratios, RIN) ahead of arrival.

Tube labeling. Label the top of each tube lid with a maximum of 4 alpha-numeric characters (e.g. 4B01). Write sample names with a black permanent marker at the top and side of the tube, never with an oil pen directly on the tube wall.

Sending raw material rather than extracted nucleic acids? Our Sample Preparation platform and Sample Extraction & Quality Control platform handle extraction and QC reporting for you. The protocols in the step-by-step section below cover the most common raw sample types.

Packaging & shipping

Shipping guidelines

A shipping address, tracking checklist and courier account details are provided once your booking is confirmed, since logistics vary by platform and lab location. The rules below apply to every shipment.

  1. Match the form to the shipment. Double-check that sample names and quantities on the submission form exactly match what's physically sent.
  2. Use 1.5 mL centrifuge tubes where possible, sealed with parafilm. Insert them into 50 mL centrifuge tubes (or another rigid support) padded with cotton or foam, so they can't be crushed in transit.
  3. For large-scale projects, use well-sealed 96-well semi- or fully-skirted PCR plates, or strip-tubes with individually attached caps. Seal every well with an adhesive sheet/foil and cushion the plate or strip tubes in a sturdy box. Ship plates on frozen blue ice or dry ice so samples stay frozen throughout.
  4. Never write directly on the tube with an oil pen. Use a black permanent marker at the top and side of each tube.
  5. DNA in 70% ethanol can travel at room temperature. DNA in H₂O or TE buffer needs ice packs.
  6. RNA, cells, bacteria and frozen tissue should be snap-frozen in liquid nitrogen, then shipped on dry ice. The amount of dry ice/ice packs needed depends on season, transit time and foam box thickness.
  7. Blood samples travel best in 5–10 mL plastic anticoagulant collection vessels, each wrapped in bubble wrap and packed in a rigid box to prevent crushing.
  8. Notify us before shipping: send the Sample Submission Form and tracking number by email so we can register and process your samples on arrival. We can't receive packages on weekends, so please time shipments to arrive on a weekday.
  9. We recommend FedEx, DHL or UPS for all shipments.

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