General Instructions
- All specimens should be shipped using FedEx or UPS. Please, do not use USPS as this will cause delays in receiving your specimen. Samples should be shipped as a priority overnight (Monday through Thursday only) to arrive before 10:30 am. Shipments are not received on weekends and/or holidays.
- All suspected prion disease samples should be shipped by a person trained in shipping dangerous goods. These specimens, regardless of the type of specimen, should be shipped as a UN 3373, Category B material.
- Please send a completed Test Request Form with all specimens. The NPDPSC requires any available clinical information when sending tissue and/or blood to assist us in making the most accurate diagnosis possible.
Instructions by Type of Sample
- Slides: Should be placed in plastic slide holders then placed in a sealed primary bag and mailed in a bubble wrap envelope. A slide list should be included for any samples sent.
- Cassettes/Blocks: Should be placed in a sealed primary bag and mailed in a bubble wrap envelope. A blocklist should be included for any samples sent.
- Fixed: Should be shipped in a pre-filled 10% neutral buffered formalin container. Place labeled specimen in a leak-proof plastic bag, and place bag in a Styrofoam carton with absorbent material.
- Frozen: Tissue should be sent using containers approved for UN 3373 shipments with sufficient dry ice (5 lbs/24 hrs).
Frozen and Fixed tissue should be shipped using a UN 3373 approved container. Please send fixed and frozen tissue samples in separate containers to avoid freezing of the fixed tissue which results in artefacts.
Ship at room temperature in protective bubble wrap or Styrofoam on the day the blood is collected. Please ship blood samples only and not derivatives (i.e., serum, plasma, etc.). The NPDPSC processes blood samples for special cases only, and all blood samples must be accompanied by a signed Testing and Reporting Policies Form as well as clinical and/or family history. Please contact the Center at 216-368-4684 for additional information.
Ship double boxed using a Styrofoam container with sufficient dry ice (5 lbs/24 hrs).
All Shipments Should Be Addressed To:
NPDPSC
Institute of Pathology
Case Western Reserve University 2085 Adelbert Road, Room 414
Cleveland, Ohio 44106-4907
Tel: (216) 368 - 0587
Email: CJDsurveillance@uhhospitals.org
For More Information
General and shipping questions can be directed to the NPDPSC at (216) 368 - 0587 or by email at CJDsurveillance@uhhospitals.org
PLEASE NOTE: The NPDPSC charges for CSF and genetic testing, as well as brain biopsy examinations, including Western blot and immunohistochemistry. Please, review the corresponding protocol pages for more information.