Written by Sara Santo
You already know the British company Research Donors as our partner and supplier of high-quality human blood products. But do you also know all the services they offer that allow you to customize the blood products according to your wishes? With Research Donors, for example, you have the option of specifying the donor, the sample format and the delivery time. True to the company motto "Right Donor, Right Sample, Right Time", Research Donors offers you a wide range of personalization options. In this article, you will discover the extensive range of customization options offered by Research Donors.
These topics await you:
5) Products and corresponding Services from Research Donors and Partners
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About Research Donors
The London-based company specializes in the distribution of fresh, highly characterized human blood products such as whole blood, plasma, serum, buffy coats, PBMCs and leukopaks. Please read our previous blog post on Research Donors for more information on the donation process, sample processing and individual product types. At Research Donors, great emphasis is placed on high ethical standards and samples are collected with full consent for genetic analysis, commercial biomedical research and animal research.
Right Donor
For successful research, it is crucial to keep track of all possible variables. Say goodbye to unpredictable samples from public blood donation centers and choose your ideal donor from a diverse pool of over 3000 healthy and drug-free donors at Research Donors. Alternatively, you are offered the option of donor recruitment for your specific requirements. You can select the following characteristics, among others:
- Age
- Gender (assigned at birth)
- Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) type
- previous Cytomegalovirus (CMV)/Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) exposure
- Blood type
- Rhesus Status
- Behavior/habits, e.g. smoker
- Ethnicity
Research Donors has full consent from donors for the use of samples collected for genetic and commercial research. In addition, donors are compensated for their time and inconvenience.
With each sample you receive comprehensive, anonymized donor information. If you require further samples from the same donor in the future, you can make use of the donor recall option. Research Donors can trace the samples back to the donor, which allows samples to be collected from the same donor.
Right Sample
For the processing of blood samples after collection, Research Donors has its own ISO 9001:2015 accredited laboratory on site. The lab allows for rapid processing and testing of whole blood and apheresis samples in a variety of formats optimized for your research. Specify the requirements for your sample with the following characteristics:
- Type of sample
- Collection format: tube/bag/specific collection devices
- Anticoagulants: CDP, K2 EDTA, K3 EDTA, Li Heparin, Na Heparin, Sodium citrate, Streck CFD, Acid Citrate Dextrose A, silicone-coated tubes (Serum only)
- required volume (depending on product type)
- Delivery temperature: ambient, chilled or frozen
- your own collection and processing protocols
Detailed characterization (including HLA type) and serology testing is performed to provide you with high quality, high performance commercial research. In addition, donors are compensated for their time and inconvenience. Whole blood, PBMC, buffy coat, plasma, serum and red blood cell samples are tested for specific diseases using the following serology tests:
- Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) I & II
- Hepatitis B virus (HBV)
- Hepatitis C virus (HCV)
- Syphilis
The following serological tests are offered for samples obtained by apheresis, whereby the first three viruses are also tested by PCR:
- Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) I & II & P24-Antigen
- Hepatitis B virus (HBV)
- Hepatitis C virus (HCV)
- Human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV) I & II
- Syphilis
Additional serological tests (e.g. for cytomegalovirus/Epstein-Barr virus) can be carried out according to your requirements.
Right Time
Fresh blood products from Research Donors are shipped by 5 p.m. on the day after sample collection. If you need your samples earlier, you can use a special "point-to-point" delivery service. Here we guarantee delivery by midday on the day after sample collection. Please note the special shipping costs in both cases.
Forget the unpredictable deadlines of public blood donation centers, because at Research Donors you get your desired samples when you need them. Meet your research timelines by scheduling collection and delivery dates. Short delivery times are guaranteed with our reliable logistics partners.
Products and corresponding Services from Research Donors and Partners
All of the following products (except immune cells) can be delivered fresh within one day of collection. Most Research Donors products are available both fresh and frozen.
Leukopaks Click here
With tested, fresh Leukopaks, Research Donors provides you with a source of highly concentrated PBMCs (over 10 billion nucleated cells) from a single donor for your research. Choose from full, half, quarter and 1/10 sizes of blood bags and between fresh and frozen Leukopaks. The frozen Leukopaks are prepared using a VIA Freeze controlled speed freezer and stored in CryoStor® CS10 cryopreservation medium to ensure maximum viability and function after thawing. This processing offers you more convenience and flexibility when processing samples.
Human Whole Blood Click here
The human whole blood samples can be ordered in blood bags or vacuum collection tubes with various anticoagulants, such as sodium heparin or K2EDTA, or with cell-free DNA. In addition, these samples can be supplied at ambient temperature, chilled or frozen.
Human Buffy Coat Click here
After preparation from whole blood, the buffy coat is made available to you for the isolation of immune cells such as lymphocytes or monocytes. Here too, you can choose from blood bags or vacuum collection tubes with various anticoagulants. These samples are not sent frozen.
Red Blood Cells Click here
Research aging processes, the release of therapeutics or simply feed your mosquitoes with red blood cells from Research Donors. You have the option of ordering red blood cells from a single donor or pooled from different donors. The original blood is collected in blood bags or vacuum collection tubes with the option of leukocyte depletion. All three delivery temperatures are possible.
Human PBMCs Click here
PMBCs are processed within 5 hours of blood collection and you can choose between frozen and fresh samples. Research Donors offers you the option to either request PBMCs from many individual donors to achieve diversity or select cells from one donor for reproducible results.
Immune Cells Click here
Select from the online searchable pool of B cells, natural killer cells, CD3+/CD4+/CD8+ T cells and monocytes previously isolated from leukopaks by negative immunomagnetic separation. These samples are also frozen 5 hours after blood collection.
Human Plasma Click here
Use the human plasma samples from Research Donors for your biomarker research and the validation of diagnostic kits. These are offered to you in blood bags or vacuum collection tubes with various anticoagulants, such as lithium heparin or citrate dextrose acid. The samples are shipped at ambient temperature, refrigerated or frozen.
Human Serum Click here
Research Donors' human serum is particularly valuable for validating the accuracy and reliability of assays for the detection of biomarkers or infectious agents. It is collected in serum tubes or by the off-the-clot method. You can choose between pooled and individual options and can also decide whether the sample should be sent fresh or frozen.
Frozen Stock Inventory Click here
The Frozen Stock Inventory allows you to browse the entire stock of frozen leukopaks, PBMCs, plasma and serum samples in real time. This makes it easy to search, select and reserve the perfect biospecimens for your research. With frozen stock, you have the option to select the donor's anticoagulant, format, volume, age, gender, ethnicity, blood type and HLA type. The samples are shipped on dry ice.
Human and Biospecimen from healthy or diseased Donors
In addition to the products mentioned above, you can also obtain other biosamples from healthy or diseased donors via other Research Donors partners. These include, for example, tumor or normal tissue, fresh/frozen tissue, dorsal root ganglia or spinal cord. You can also use this method to obtain the aforementioned blood-derived products from diseased donors. Various biofluids such as bone marrow aspirate, sputum/saliva, urine/stool, cerebrospinal fluid and many others (on request) are also available.
Why Research Donors?
With our partner Research Donors you secure numerous advantages. The company offers you a tailor-made solution for the procurement of highly characterised human blood samples and Research Donors' expertise and specialization ensure consistent product quality. The combination of individual donor selection, diverse sample formats and flexible delivery options enables researchers to plan and execute their projects efficiently.
Our UK partner gives you access to a diverse donor pool from which you can select your desired samples. With a clear focus on ethical and regulatory standards and quality control, Research Donors ensures the reliability and accuracy of the samples provided. Contact us and we will advise you on all questions and requests regarding the right donor, the right sample and the right time!
Find Research Donors products exclusively with us now
All images provided by Research Donors.
