The temperature control can be a big problem. I recommend they send them in a styrofoam box. If it is hot out I recommend that you put a cold pack in and double wrap the specimen in a container preventing direct contact with the cold pack. In the winter wrapping in bubble wrap and additional insulating material is helpful. What exactly have the specimens been? Lymph nodes, bone marrow, blood? With more information we can provide more suggestions. Maryalice > ---------- > From: Altig,Kathy > Sent: Tuesday, October 9, 2001 10:13 AM > To: Cytometry Mailing List > Subject: tissue samples sent form afar > > > We have recently been receiving samples from a town far enough away from > us > that the samples spend up to 30 or more hours in transit. We have sent > them > RPMI + 10% FCS (and an antibiotic) to place the samples in for transport. > By the time we receive the samples the pleasant fruit punch colored RPMI > has > changed to a disgusting lemon yellow (very acidic) and the viability of > the > cells has dropped to less than 20%. What's wrong with this picture? > > The samples have been fairly large; do we need to just have them use more > containers and split the sample into smaller portions? Or is there some > other issue we are missing? > > Would someone who has experience in this transport issue please let me in > on > the secret to long distance cell viability! > Thanks so very much. > > Kathy Altig > Southwest Washington Medical Center > Vancouver, WA > >
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