Our Approach to Collaboration

We begin by deeply engaging with your scientific team to fully understand your biosample study needs.  

This could include clinical parameters, sample processing requirements and data requirements.   We often provide suggestions on data and processing that could improve the study.

We support all complexity levels of request from those who have detailed protocol requirements to those with sample only requirements. 

This is often the most important part of the project, and we spend significant periods of time ensuring that this work will result in samples that address your research needs.

Based on the requirements denoted, there is a detailed discussion within the clinical study team regarding the project.  Sometimes incorporating PI and laboratory input when required.  

 Based on this we select our sites that we have previously determined are able to collect in those indications, and calculate collection rates and costing.    

Once complete we provide documents outlining the sample requirements in detail (biosample, disease inclusion and exclusion, processing and data requirements), alongside the estimated time to completion and cost per sample. 

As we generally contract with larger organisations and understand the difficulties that can ensue at this stage, we operate a highly flexible process, and avoid making changes unless absolutely required. 

We ensure that any documentation received is responded to quickly, and turned around for execution rapidly. 

This ensures a pain and hassle free process, and also we can meet any other documentational requirements such as quality or other forms that may need to be filled. 

Once contracting has completed, we commence collection, often within one week of agreement finalisation and provision of PO.   

Once the commercial agreement is in place.  We provide all kits and materials, unless requested by the client (such as custom kits) and begin collection.   This often occurs rapidly, and we notify once we have first subject in.   

During the collection we provide regular updates on progress, and notify on whether any additional points come up during collection.     We have tight control over our collections, and can often make changes during the process. 

Once completed, we pull together the associated data, assess against study requirements and perform QC on samples to ensure all is as expected.   If there are any unexpected findings or deviations, we directly point these out to you. 

Depending on the collection, and its complexity, we may incorporate a pilot phase to allow feedback and testing, and incorporation into the remaining collection.

On completion, we completely take care of logistics of the samples to your organisation.

We are able to ship anywhere in the world, and have a number of specialist logistics providors that we may use (if needed). 

The samples are all well packed, with barcoding, and where dry ice is needed, this is provided in excess to ensure any delays do not affect our samples.   We have never had a lost shipment.     

We keep a close eye throughout the shipment process, and notify of delays, and proactively solve them

Data manifests and, if required associated reports and images are provided digitally when shipping commences, but can provide prior to shipment for approval.    We can provide the data manifests or fill in templates.

If required we are also able to fill data directly into client systems, such as your clinical sample / trials platforms.

Once the samples have arrived, we are keen to hear your feedback on them or the associated data. 

We work to provide any clarifications if they are needed, and support any needs that may occur post your use and QC of the samples. 

We're here for the long term, and sometimes even manage to answer queries many months later. 

Generally, after this, we hope to have a longer term relationship with you and your organisation, and often have continued dialogue, including working on ways to support proactively for future collaborations.  

Recent examples of this have included working with client suppliers so their kit provision is quicker and more straightforward, or developing new clinical collaborations in areas of interest (to for example speed studies, or to access other harder to reach indications).