• About Us
  • What is the CHTN?
  • Why use the CHTN?
  • CHTN Divisions
  • History of the CHTN
• Biospecimens We
  Provide
  • Biospecimen Collection & Type
  • Biospecimen Processing, Preservation & Shipping
  • Quality Control
  • Biohazard Infection & Control
  • Equitable Distribution
• Processing
  Fees
• Investigator
  Registration
  • Investigator Application
    Requirements and Priority
  • Investigator Responsibilities
  • Frequently Asked Questions
• Policies &
  Procedures
  • Protection of Human Subjects
  • IRB Policy
  • HIPAA Compliance Policy
  • Transferring of Biospecimens to Third Parties
• TMAs &
  Other Services
  • Tissue Microarrays (TMAs)
  • Histology Services
  • Macrodissection
  • Nucleic Acid Isolation
• CHTN
  Extras
• Contact Us

Biospecimen Processing, Preservation & Shipping

The processing of biospecimens varies according to the protocol of each individual investigator. Specimens can be:

• Snap-frozen or frozen in cryo-embedding media such as OCT and stored at liquid nitrogen or -80° C temperatures
• Provided as fresh tissue, which can be minced or intact, placed in transport media of choice or saline, and shipped for next day arrival.
• Provided in a fixative of choice or as paraffin-embedded blocks.. Stained or unstained slides can also be provided from either paraffin blocks or as frozen sections.
• Provided in RNAlater or other investigator-specified preservative, fresh or subsequently frozen.
• Tissue Microarray slides are also available. Please visit our TMA website for more information.

Specimens are shipped following IATA guidelines and under conditions appropriate to the preparation process used.

• Specimens stored at ultra-low temperatures may be batch or individually shipped to investigators on dry ice.
• Fresh biospecimens ship the day of collection refrigerated or at room temperature for delivery early the next morning.
• Special arrangements can also be made for delivery of specimens over the weekend.