iRepertoire can help with your immune repertoire sequencing project for any and all steps from nucleic acid extraction, library preparation, sequencing (of a library made with iRepertoire’s Reagent Systems), and finally data analysis.
Regardless of where you find yourself in the workflow, this page describes the best practices for shipping samples for service, receiving products to create your own libraries, or submitting data from sequencing iRepertoire prepared libraries in-house.
Obtaining a quote
To initiate the process of submitting samples or data for processing, you must first request a quote and submit a purchase order (PO) to orders@irepertoire.com with a description of the service project you would like for us to complete. If you filled out a specific service request form, this step may have already been completed. Once we receive your PO, please fill out one of the sample submission forms linked below, and (for samples) include a hard copy in with your shipment:
If you do not yet have the PO or quote number when completing the form, you can simply type “pending” into each of the fields. As a note, we can receive samples at any time; however, we must at least have a PO on file (PDF is fine) before work can begin on any study.
Shipping samples
We personally prefer to use FedEx for shipping, but as long as the courier will accept dry ice shipments for overnight/International delivery, then please feel free to use another if you’d like. For domestic shipments, we recommend that samples be shipped Monday through Thursday. For international shipments, we recommend shipping on Monday or Friday. We will send you a confirmation e-mail once your sample has been received.
Please ship to the following address:
Attn: Service
iRepertoire, Inc.
800 Hudson Way
Suite 2304
Huntsville, AL 35806
Sample storage and packaging
RNA or gDNA samples should be shipped overnight to iRepertoire on dry ice. Sample should be shipped in nuclease-free water in 1.5 mL centrifuge tubes. Please include the identifying information of the sample on both the top and the side of the tube such as sample number, sample name, concentration, and quantity, and please double check that the sample tubes match the sample submission form.
Live cells should be stored in Qiagen’s RNAprotect Cell Reagent (cat no. 76526), cryopreserved, or dry snap frozen. Cryopreserved or snap frozen cells should be shipped on dry ice. Cells stored in RNAprotect Cell Reagent can be shipped either at 4°C or on dry ice; our recommendation is to ship at whatever temperature the samples are currently stored at. Please place the cells in appropriate tubing for shipment.
For whole blood, we highly recommend the use of PaxGene Blood RNA tubes. These can be drawn and stored at -20°C or colder indefinitely. PaxGene tubes should be shipped on dry ice; please ensure the tubes are protected from rough handling during shipping. If PaxGene tubes are not available, blood should be drawn in an appropriate vacutainer containing an anticoagulant such as EDTA or sodium heparin. Please place the labeled vacutainer(s) in a biohazard bag with an absorbent pad. The biohazard bag should be placed in an insulated container containing ice packs and shipped overnight to iRepertoire. To learn more about the differences in blood collection tubes, see our page on blood sample collection considerations.
For dry capture single cell plating, please do make sure to secure the PCR sealing film using a roller and press down in between the wells to make sure that the film stays in place. We also recommend paraffin wrapping each plate as an extra precautionary step to secure the film. Plates can also be wrapped in bubble wrap to protect them from rough handling during shipment.
For information about recommended/required sample volumes and reagents, see our sample submission guide
Receiving products
If you are receiving reagent kits from iRepertoire, including the iR-Profile kit, you may find a temperature data monitor in the shipment. This helps us confirm that the shipment remained at an appropriate temperature for the kit at all times. When you receive the shipment, push and hold the > button for 3 seconds – this turns the monitor off. You can then insert the monitor USB into any computer with a USB drive; the monitor should then automatically generate a report with both a graph and timed listing of the temperature readings. Please forward us a copy of that report for our records when you have a moment. Once the report is generated the monitor itself is disposable and can be discarded.
It’s also important to note that the components of the iR-Profile kit are stored at two different temperatures. Please double check your kit and store appropriately as soon as possible.
Submitting data
Once you’ve filled out the data submission form, raw fastq.gz files can be shared via Basespace (please share the Project), GoogleDrive, or DropBox with info@irepertoire.com. We can also accept data via SFTP or hard-drive – whichever is easiest for you. If you need to submit via SFTP, please let us know and we can create log-in credentials for you to access the system.