Human Blood Samples

In prospective collections, MT Group accommodates highly granular inclusion and exclusion criteria tailored to your research objectives. Specifications can include disease severity scoring such as DAS-28 for rheumatoid arthritis or EASI for atopic dermatitis, therapeutic history inclusions such as prior treatment regimens and washout periods, specific lines of therapy, or exclusions for particular drug classes. Comorbidity exclusions can be defined broadly or narrowly, and standard demographic filters including age ranges, gender, and ethnicity are readily implemented. This precision in prospective blood collection for research ensures specimens match the exact biological and clinical characteristics your study requires, eliminating compromises necessary with banked samples.

Subjects with a known history of HIV, HCV, and HBV are excluded from enrollment in MT Group collections. Further serological testing is not performed on collected samples as such testing is incompatible with the rapid turnaround required for fresh, overnight human blood.

Blood samples follow standard MT Group processing and storage protocols, which are followed by collecting sites to ensure consistency and quality. These protocols cover centrifugation parameters, aliquoting procedures, storage temperatures, and shipping conditions. If sponsors require customized processing—such as specific spin speeds, alternative freezing methods, or specialized handling—these modifications are incorporated during the study design phase and documented in the collection protocol provided to sites.

For prospective blood collections, MT Group typically requires a minimum order of 10 subjects due to the significant time and resources invested in study startup, including protocol development, site activation, and staff training. This minimum ensures efficient project execution while maintaining the high quality and attention to detail that characterizes our human blood procurement services.

Nearly every aspect of a prospective blood collection for research can be customized to meet your specific needs, including tube types, anticoagulants (EDTA, heparin, citrate, etc.), collection volumes, processing conditions, subject inclusion/exclusion criteria, and clinical data. MT Group works with you during the study design phase to define the exact specifications. More stringent requirements—such as rare tube types, unusually large volumes, or highly restrictive eligibility criteria—may affect enrollment rates and timelines.

Human blood specimens are accompanied by comprehensive clinical documentation including demographics, medical history, diagnosis, treatment history, lifestyle factors such as alcohol use, smoking status, BMI, height, and weight as well as supporting reports (lab results, imaging, pathology as appropriate). Essentially, any information collected as standard of care can be provided with the samples. MT Group customizes case report forms to address your specific data requirements. If needed information is not routinely collected during standard care, we can often directly survey donors or arrange for additional laboratory testing. Longitudinal outcome information and follow-up data are also frequently available for prospective collections.

Yes, MT Group's collection sites are highly experienced in plasma and serum processing protocols, including aliquoting to meet your specifications. We were the first human blood supplier in the industry to offer double-spin centrifugation protocols, recognizing the considerable benefits of this approach provides for removing platelet contamination and producing high-quality, platelet-poor plasma and serum samples for downstream research applications.

Exact costs for human blood procurement vary based on study design, collection complexity, clinical data requirements, and specimen processing needs. In general, pricing includes a per-subject cost covering blood collection, processing, and clinical data abstraction, plus shipping costs for specimen delivery. Cases are invoiced as they are shipped.

Prospective blood collections typically begin 2-4 weeks after receiving a purchase order. During this period, MT Group develops a collection SOP, assembles study-specific material kits, and onboards collection sites. Nearly all collections fit under established umbrella IRB protocols, eliminating the need for additional approvals. Actual enrollment timeframes depend on your specific study design and eligibility criteria.