Specimen Requirements
The quality of laboratory results is dependent on proper specimen collection and handling
Our specimen requirements are listed in the categories below
Specimen Specific Instructions
Please follow these directions closely when preparing to submit your specimen(s) to ensure successful testing and avoid delays.
Important to note
- Please label each specimen and Test Requisition Form with at least two patient’s unique identifiers (i.e.full name and date of birth) and collection date.
- DO NOT use expired or inappropriate specimen collection tube.
- Blood/saliva samples are NOT accepted for patients that have undergone an allogenic transplant (e.g. bone marrow or peripheral stem cell) OR that have a history of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL).
- Testing on blood/saliva from patients with active haematological disease is NOT recommended.
- For specimen types not listed here, please contact us for more information before sending it in.
Whole Blood
Accepted Test Type | Requirements | Conditions | Special Collection Remarks |
||
Container | Amount (quantity & volume) | Storage & Stability | Shipping & Transport |
||
| Pharmacogenomics screening (PGx) | EDTA (lavender top) tube | Adult: 3-5ml Pediatric: 2ml | Room temperature at 15-25 °C or refrigerate at 2-8 °C. Stability may be affected if stored more than 7 days | Ship ambient within same day if possible, otherwise within 48hrs. DO NOT Freeze specimens. Keep away from direct sunlight. | Sample Collection Instructions for PAXgene® Tube: Position tube vertically below the patient’s arm. Ensure tube remains vertical, drawing a minimum of 2.5 mL of blood. Use butterfly needle to prevent backflow. Specimen Processing: Gently INVERT TUBE 8-10 TIMES IMMEDIATELY after draw, before sitting and/or shipping PAXgene® Tube Must be Drawn Last: Draw EDTA blood tube first, then draw PAXgene® blood tube last. If only a PAXgene® tube is to be collected, FIRST collect a small amount of blood in a discard tube, THEN collect blood into the PAXgene® tube. Transfusion patients: Wait at least 2 weeks after a packed cell/platelet transfusion and at least 4 weeks after a whole blood transfusion prior to blood draw for testing. Chemotherapy patients: DNA quality may be affected if patient has received chemotherapy within the last 120 days. Clients will be contacted to provide additional specimen if DNA quality is insufficient. |
| Hereditary screening (single site, panels and exome testing) | |||||
| Hereditary screening (RNA analysis) | PAXgene® blood tube for RNA analysis | 2.5 ml | Room temperature at 15-25°C. Note that PAXgene® tubes sitting for >5 days at room temperature may have a higher risk of failure. | ||
| Non-invasive Prenatal Screening (NIPT) | Cell-free DNA Streck® tube | 8-10 ml | Room temperature at 15-25 °C (stable up to 14 days) | ||
Saliva/Buccal Swab
Accepted Test Type | Requirements | Conditions | Special Collection Remarks |
||
Container | Amount (quantity & volume) | Storage & Stability | Shipping & Transport |
||
| Hereditary screening (single site, panels and exome testing) | Oragene™self-collection container (OGD-500/510) | 1-2ml of freshly collected saliva in Oragene™container per kit’s specific instructions. Fill up to the black line with 1cc of saliva and close the lid. Once the lid is closed, it automatically adds 1ml of buffer for a total volume of 2ml. 2 Containers are required for all pediatric saliva testing kits and adults having exome testing for family member analysis. | Room temperature at 15-25 °C (stable for 30 days) | Ship ambient within same day if possible, otherwise within 48hrs. DO NOT Freeze specimens. Keep away from direct sunlight. | Transfusion patients: Wait at least 2 weeks after a packed cell/platelet transfusion and at least 4 weeks after a whole blood transfusion prior to blood draw for testing. Chemotherapy patients: DNA quality may be affected if patient has received chemotherapy within the last 120 days. Clients will be contacted to provide additional specimen if DNA quality is insufficient. |
| Pharmacogenomics screening (PGx) | Copan FLOQSwabs® (552C) | Two completed swabs, collected as instructed on kit. | |||
FFPE Tissue (Blocks & Slides)
Accepted Test Type | Requirements | Conditions | Special Collection Remarks |
|
Storage & Stability | Shipping & Transport |
|||
| Tumour profiling (NGS panels) | Tissue/Cell blocks OR Unstained slides of FFPE tissue mounted on uncoated slides (at least 10 – 15 X 5µm slides, additional 5 – 10 slides for smaller tissue area) + 1 H&E stained slides | Room temperature at 15-25 °C. | Ship ambient within same day (preferred). DO NOT Freeze specimens. Keep away from direct sunlight. | Minimum surface area of 5 x 5mm2 per slide. Minimum 10% tumour purity for smaller panel and 20% tumour purity for larger panels. Refer to Specimen Collection Instructions for more preparation instructions. |
Whole Blood
Requirements |
|
Container | Amount (quantity & volume) |
| EDTA (lavender top) tube | Adult: 3-5ml Pediatric: 2ml |
Conditions |
|
Storage & Stability | Shipping & Transport |
| Room temperature at 15-25 °C or refrigerate at 2-8 °C. Stability may be affected if stored more than 7 days. | Ship ambient within same day if possible, otherwise within 48hrs. DO NOT Freeze specimens. Keep away from direct sunlight. |
Conditions |
| Sample Collection Instructions for PAXgene® Tube: Position tube vertically below the patient’s arm. Ensure tube remains vertical, drawing a minimum of 2.5 mL of blood. Use butterfly needle to prevent backflow. Specimen Processing: Gently INVERT TUBE 8-10 TIMES IMMEDIATELY after draw, before sitting and/or shipping PAXgene® Tube Must be Drawn Last: Draw EDTA blood tube first, then draw PAXgene® blood tube last. If only a PAXgene® tube is to be collected, FIRST collect a small amount of blood in a discard tube, THEN collect blood into the PAXgene® tube. Transfusion patients: Wait at least 2 weeks after a packed cell/platelet transfusion and at least 4 weeks after a whole blood transfusion prior to blood draw for testing. Chemotherapy patients: DNA quality may be affected if patient has received chemotherapy within the last 120 days. Clients will be contacted to provide additional specimen if DNA quality is insufficient. |
Requirements |
|
Container | Amount (quantity & volume) |
| EDTA (lavender top) tube | Adult: 3-5ml Pediatric: 2ml |
Conditions |
|
Storage & Stability | Shipping & Transport |
| Room temperature at 15-25 °C or refrigerate at 2-8 °C. Stability may be affected if stored more than 7 days. | Ship ambient within same day if possible, otherwise within 48hrs. DO NOT Freeze specimens. Keep away from direct sunlight. |
Conditions |
| Sample Collection Instructions for PAXgene® Tube: Position tube vertically below the patient’s arm. Ensure tube remains vertical, drawing a minimum of 2.5 mL of blood. Use butterfly needle to prevent backflow. Specimen Processing: Gently INVERT TUBE 8-10 TIMES IMMEDIATELY after draw, before sitting and/or shipping PAXgene® Tube Must be Drawn Last: Draw EDTA blood tube first, then draw PAXgene® blood tube last. If only a PAXgene® tube is to be collected, FIRST collect a small amount of blood in a discard tube, THEN collect blood into the PAXgene® tube. Transfusion patients: Wait at least 2 weeks after a packed cell/platelet transfusion and at least 4 weeks after a whole blood transfusion prior to blood draw for testing. Chemotherapy patients: DNA quality may be affected if patient has received chemotherapy within the last 120 days. Clients will be contacted to provide additional specimen if DNA quality is insufficient. |
Requirements |
|
Container | Amount (quantity & volume) |
| PAXgene® blood tube for RNA analysis | 2.5 ml |
Conditions |
|
Storage & Stability | Shipping & Transport |
| Room temperature at 15-25°C. Note that PAXgene® tubes sitting for >5 days at room temperature may have a higher risk of failure. | Ship ambient within same day if possible, otherwise within 48hrs. DO NOT Freeze specimens. Keep away from direct sunlight. |
Conditions |
| Sample Collection Instructions for PAXgene® Tube: Position tube vertically below the patient’s arm. Ensure tube remains vertical, drawing a minimum of 2.5 mL of blood. Use butterfly needle to prevent backflow. Specimen Processing: Gently INVERT TUBE 8-10 TIMES IMMEDIATELY after draw, before sitting and/or shipping PAXgene® Tube Must be Drawn Last: Draw EDTA blood tube first, then draw PAXgene® blood tube last. If only a PAXgene® tube is to be collected, FIRST collect a small amount of blood in a discard tube, THEN collect blood into the PAXgene® tube. Transfusion patients: Wait at least 2 weeks after a packed cell/platelet transfusion and at least 4 weeks after a whole blood transfusion prior to blood draw for testing. Chemotherapy patients: DNA quality may be affected if patient has received chemotherapy within the last 120 days. Clients will be contacted to provide additional specimen if DNA quality is insufficient. |
Requirements |
|
Container | Amount (quantity & volume) |
| Cell-free DNA Streck® tube | 8-10 ml |
Conditions |
|
Storage & Stability | Shipping & Transport |
| Room temperature at 15-25 °C (stable up to 14 days) | Ship ambient within same day if possible, otherwise within 48hrs. DO NOT Freeze specimens. Keep away from direct sunlight. |
Conditions |
| Sample Collection Instructions for PAXgene® Tube: Position tube vertically below the patient’s arm. Ensure tube remains vertical, drawing a minimum of 2.5 mL of blood. Use butterfly needle to prevent backflow. Specimen Processing: Gently INVERT TUBE 8-10 TIMES IMMEDIATELY after draw, before sitting and/or shipping PAXgene® Tube Must be Drawn Last: Draw EDTA blood tube first, then draw PAXgene® blood tube last. If only a PAXgene® tube is to be collected, FIRST collect a small amount of blood in a discard tube, THEN collect blood into the PAXgene® tube. Transfusion patients: Wait at least 2 weeks after a packed cell/platelet transfusion and at least 4 weeks after a whole blood transfusion prior to blood draw for testing. Chemotherapy patients: DNA quality may be affected if patient has received chemotherapy within the last 120 days. Clients will be contacted to provide additional specimen if DNA quality is insufficient. |
Saliva/Buccal Swab
Requirements |
|
Container | Amount (quantity & volume) |
| Oragene™self-collection container (OGD-500/510) | 1-2ml of freshly collected saliva in Oragene™container per kit’s specific instructions. Fill up to the black line with 1cc of saliva and close the lid. Once the lid is closed, it automatically adds 1ml of buffer for a total volume of 2ml. 2 Containers are required for all pediatric saliva testing kits and adults having exome testing for family member analysis. |
Conditions |
|
Storage & Stability | Shipping & Transport |
| Room temperature at 15-25 °C (stable for 30 days) | Ship ambient within same day if possible, otherwise within 48hrs. DO NOT Freeze specimens. Keep away from direct sunlight. |
Special Collection Remarks |
| Transfusion patients: Wait at least 2 weeks after a packed cell/platelet transfusion and at least 4 weeks after a whole blood transfusion prior to blood draw for testing. Chemotherapy patients: DNA quality may be affected if patient has received chemotherapy within the last 120 days. Clients will be contacted to provide additional specimen if DNA quality is insufficient. |
Requirements |
|
Container | Amount (quantity & volume) |
| Copan FLOQSwabs® (552C) | Two completed swabs, collected as instructed on kit. |
Conditions |
|
Storage & Stability | Shipping & Transport |
| Room temperature at 15-25 °C (stable for 30 days) | Ship ambient within same day if possible, otherwise within 48hrs. DO NOT Freeze specimens. Keep away from direct sunlight. |
Special Collection Remarks |
| Transfusion patients: Wait at least 2 weeks after a packed cell/platelet transfusion and at least 4 weeks after a whole blood transfusion prior to blood draw for testing. Chemotherapy patients: DNA quality may be affected if patient has received chemotherapy within the last 120 days. Clients will be contacted to provide additional specimen if DNA quality is insufficient. |
FFPE Tissue (Blocks & Slides)
Requirements |
| Tissue/Cell blocks OR Unstained slides of FFPE tissue mounted on uncoated slides (at least 10 – 15 X 5µm slides, additional 5 – 10 slides for smaller tissue area) + 1 H&E stained slides |
Conditions |
|
Storage & Stability | Shipping & Transport |
| Room temperature at 15-25 °C. | Ship ambient within same day (preferred). DO NOT Freeze specimens. Keep away from direct sunlight. |
Special Collection Remarks |
| Minimum surface area of 5 x 5mm2 per slide. Minimum 10% tumour purity for smaller panel and 20% tumour purity for larger panels. Refer to Specimen Collection Instructions for more preparation instructions. |
Requirements |
| Unstained slides of FFPE tissue mounted on coated slides (2 – 5 x 5µm slides per clone/test) |
Conditions |
|
Storage & Stability | Shipping & Transport |
| Room temperature at 15-25 °C. | Ship ambient within same day (preferred). DO NOT Freeze specimens. Keep away from direct sunlight. |
Special Collection Remarks |
| Minimum surface area of 5 x 5mm2 per slide. Minimum 10% tumour purity for smaller panel and 20% tumour purity for larger panels. Refer to Specimen Collection Instructions for more preparation instructions. |
Requirements |
| Tissue/Cell blocks OR Unstained slides of FFPE tissue (tumour and/or normal site if any) mounted on uncoated slides (10 X 5µm slides) + 1 H&E stained slide |
Conditions |
|
Storage & Stability | Shipping & Transport |
| Room temperature at 15-25 °C. | Ship ambient within same day (preferred). DO NOT Freeze specimens. Keep away from direct sunlight. |
Special Collection Remarks |
| Minimum surface area of 5 x 5mm2 per slide. Minimum 10% tumour purity for smaller panel and 20% tumour purity for larger panels. Refer to Specimen Collection Instructions for more preparation instructions. |