Shipping and storage

The Biospecimen Accessioning and Processing Core at Mayo Clinic's campus in Rochester, Minnesota, was built specifically to store and manage samples. Having a centralized facility provides better efficiency, automation, uniformity and standardization, which means high-quality material for investigators.

The core offers a variety of sample storage solutions, with both conventional and automated freezers. Services also include custom kit-building and cost-effective and secure sample shipment supported by a national network of courier services.

Kit building

Kits for sample collection and processing are custom prepared to include specific collection containers and processing vials, study-specific paperwork and instructions, and return shipping materials. Kits can be shipped directly to the end user or provided to the study team.

Shipping

International Air Transport Association-trained staff members prepare samples for worldwide shipment using a variety of courier services. A package can contain multiple samples from multiple patients. Samples can be shipped at ambient, refrigerated or frozen temperatures. For researchers at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, moving samples to another lab location on campus is not considered shipping.

Storage

The Biospecimen Accessioning and Processing Core offers long-term storage of biospecimens and viable cells. Samples can be stored at a variety of conditions, including ambient temperature, temperature of minus 112 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 80 degrees Celsius), and liquid nitrogen. The core tracks locations in the Research Laboratory Information Management System. The core can store more than 70 million 1.4-mL cryovials. A TempTrak freezer monitoring system monitors lab freezers.