Thanks, forgot about that end of week - weekend timing.  It can get stuck in
transit so, we always shipped Monday to Thursday unless it was out of
country then we shipped Wednesday.  We had packages stuck in Customs several
times.  Up the amount of ice if you have any doubts and pay the cost.  Pam
Marcum

-----Original Message-----
From: Simon Smith [mailto:ssmith@skeletech.com]
Sent: Monday, May 01, 2000 5:11 PM
To: Histonet (E-mail)
Subject: RE: Sending frozen tissue


Ditto what Pam said.

Try also to get hold of kibbled dry ice, in the UK this was easy, BOC
supplied it in bags, in the US it tends to come as a large block.  Try to
chip some of the big block to maximise the contact surface area of the
tissue/ dry ice.  I used to get the occasional shipment of specimens,
properly snap frozen, placed in a room temp. polystyrene box around a large
lump of dry ice.  the specimens had obviously thawed (on contact with the
box) then refrozen (when the temp. in the box got cold enough).  Include
enough dry ice to last a couple of days (4 kg is a number that comes to
mind, I could be wrong.

Always arrange for shipments to be sent at the beginning of the week, If
something goes wrong it can be sorted out.  I once lost a whole study
because the specimens were shipped on a thursday, held up by the USDA by
some kind of random audit then delivered on a monday, stored at room temp.
in the interim.

It is also especially inportant to spell out (in words of one syllable or
less, preferably using pictures) how to freeze the tissue.  Do not assume
that the people at the other end know what they are doing.  I once worked
with some retrieved samples from human Left ventricular assist devices which
had been ruined because the investigators idea of snap freezing was putting
them on dry ice for a couple of minutes.  This was absolutely unique
material destroyed because we assumed that they knew what they were doing.
Fortunately they learned from their mistake.

Simon

Simon Smith B.Sc. AIBMS
Supervisor, Laboratory Resources
Skeletech, Inc.
22002 26th Ave SE, Suite 104
Bothell   WA   98021
Voice: (425) 424 2663   Fax:  (425) 424 2600
E-mail: ssmith@skeletech.com

-----Original Message-----
From: Pam Marcum [mailto:pmarcum@polysciences.com]
Sent: Monday, May 01, 2000 10:53 AM
To: Lynn Gardner; Histonet@pathology.swmed.edu
Subject: RE: Sending frozen tissue


Lynn,
We would freeze the tissue in liquid nitrogen or on dry ice and ship
overnight on dry ice.  You will need to check the regs with Fed Ex or UPS as
they may be the only ones who will take a dry ice shipment.  I know some of
the overnight shippers don't take dry ice at all. The biggest problem will
be making sure the person doing the freezing and packing does it exactly.
Pam Marcum

-----Original Message-----
From: Lynn Gardner [mailto:lynn-gardner@uiowa.edu]
Sent: Monday, May 01, 2000 10:08 AM
To: Histonet@pathology.swmed.edu
Subject: Sending frozen tissue


Hey histonetters!,

Need a quick response to this question if possible.

We need to know the best way to send tissue through the mail that will be
used for frozen sections when it arrives in our lab. We want to avoid any
type of fixation and want the best preservatioin of the tissue possible.
Would appreciate any help with this!

Sincerely,
Lynn Gardner, HT(ASCP)