Whole Blood for Research from Characterized Patient Populations
Whole blood is the starting material for a wide range of translational research applications, from immune cell functional assays and flow cytometry to genomic studies, hematology research, and diagnostic development. MT Group specializes in prospective whole blood collection for research from specific disease state patient populations as well as healthy, at risk, and high risk control cohorts, all with comprehensive clinical annotation.
Whether your study requires disease state whole blood from oncology or autoimmune patients, matched whole blood and plasma from the same subjects, or longitudinal whole blood draws tracking treatment response over time, MT Group designs and executes collections around your exact study parameters.
Whole Blood for Research from Characterized Patient Populations
Whole blood is the starting material for a wide range of translational research applications, from immune cell functional assays and flow cytometry to genomic studies, hematology research, and diagnostic development. MT Group specializes in prospective whole blood collection for research from specific disease state patient populations as well as healthy, at risk, and high risk control cohorts, all with comprehensive clinical annotation.
Whether your study requires disease state whole blood from oncology or autoimmune patients, matched whole blood and plasma from the same subjects, or longitudinal whole blood draws tracking treatment response over time, MT Group designs and executes collections around your exact study parameters.
Prospective Whole Blood Collection for Translational Research
Fresh whole blood cannot be banked. It must be collected and shipped to your laboratory while cells remain viable and functionally intact. This means every whole blood collection is inherently prospective, and the quality of the specimen depends entirely on how well the collection is designed and executed. The right anticoagulant, controlled processing timing, coordinated overnight shipping, and accurate clinical annotation all need to be defined before the first tube is drawn.
MT Group approaches whole blood collection for research with the same consultative rigor we bring to all biospecimen collections. Every study begins with a design consultation where we define the patient population, anticoagulant and tube type, collection volume, processing timing, clinical data requirements, and shipping logistics. This upfront investment ensures your human whole blood samples arrive with the clinical context and specimen specifications that translational research demands.
Most biospecimen suppliers are well equipped to collect whole blood from healthy donors, but collecting disease state whole blood from characterized patient populations, with overnight shipping, matched clinical data, and consistent protocol execution, requires established relationships with clinical sites that see these patients routinely. MT Group's site network provides this access across diverse therapeutic areas.
Disease State Whole Blood Collection Capabilities
MT Group collects disease state whole blood from diverse patient populations across our established site network. Below are the therapeutic areas we most commonly support, though our prospective collection model allows us to activate collections for conditions beyond those listed here.
Oncology
Disease state whole blood from cancer patients supports immune cell profiling, immunophenotyping, T cell functional assays, and immunotherapy biomarker research. Whole blood preserves the native immune cell environment, including granulocytes, monocytes, and lymphocytes in their physiological ratios and activation states, making it essential for studies where cell to cell interactions and immune context matter. We collect oncology whole blood across solid tumors including lung (NSCLC and SCLC), breast, colorectal, pancreatic (PDAC), hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), ovarian, prostate, bladder, renal cell carcinoma, and glioblastoma (GBM), as well as hematologic malignancies. Collections can be stratified by treatment status (treatment naïve, on therapy, post progression), specific therapeutic regimens, and molecular subtypes when documented in the clinical record.
Autoimmune and Inflammatory Disease
Disease state whole blood from patients with autoimmune conditions supports immune cell functional assays, whole blood stimulation studies, cytokine release profiling, and flow cytometric immunophenotyping. Whole blood maintains the complete cellular milieu including neutrophils and other granulocytes that are lost during PBMC isolation, making it valuable for studies of innate immunity and neutrophil driven inflammatory pathways. Conditions include rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis), multiple sclerosis, psoriatic arthritis, and other immune mediated disorders. Collections can be designed around disease activity scores (DAS 28, PASI, EASI, Mayo Score), treatment history including biologic naïve and biologic experienced populations, and washout status.
Metabolic Disease
Human whole blood samples from patients with metabolic conditions including Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, non alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD/NASH), thyroid disorders, dyslipidemia, and obesity. Whole blood is used for HbA1c measurement, glucose tolerance testing, genomic DNA extraction, and studies examining the effects of metabolic disease on immune cell function and hematologic parameters. Clinical annotation commonly includes HbA1c levels, fasting glucose, lipid panels, BMI, and medication histories.
Cardiovascular Disease
Disease state whole blood from outpatient populations with cardiovascular conditions including heart failure, atrial fibrillation, coronary artery disease, and chronic post myocardial infarction follow up. Whole blood from cardiovascular patients is used for platelet function studies, coagulation research, hematologic profiling, and genomic analyses in cardiovascular drug development programs. Collections are performed during routine outpatient clinical visits.
Control Populations
Control whole blood is essential for establishing baseline references and validating disease-specific findings. MT Group collects whole blood from multiple control tiers to support robust study designs:
- Healthy Donors: Subjects with no known diseases who provide baseline specimens for normal reference ranges and negative controls.
- Proven Healthy Donors: Subjects with documented health status confirmed through clinical assessment, such as a clean colonoscopy, normal mammogram, physician wellness exam, or other objective health verification. These specimens provide a higher confidence baseline for studies where incidental or undiagnosed conditions could confound results.
- At-Risk Populations: Subjects with risk factors for a target disease—such as family history, genetic predisposition, obesity, or lifestyle factors—but who have not yet been diagnosed. At-risk controls are particularly valuable for early detection biomarker research and screening assay development.
- High-Risk Populations: Subjects with elevated risk profiles such as pre-diabetic individuals, subjects with pre-malignant conditions, heavy smokers, or those with documented environmental or occupational exposures. High-risk controls help characterize the biomarker landscape between healthy and diseased states.
Other Conditions
MT Group's prospective collection model is not limited to the categories above. We regularly activate whole blood collection for research across respiratory conditions (COPD, asthma, IPF), renal disease, ophthalmologic conditions, rare diseases, and other therapeutic areas based on site feasibility and patient population access. Contact us to discuss your specific whole blood requirements.
Clinical Annotation for
Whole Blood Specimens
The clinical data accompanying human whole blood samples is what transforms a tube of blood into a research-ready specimen. MT Group provides comprehensive, validated clinical annotation designed to support translational research applications.
Standard Clinical Data Elements
Whole blood collections for research may include demographics (age, sex, race/ethnicity, BMI), primary diagnosis with date of diagnosis, complete medical history and relevant comorbidities, current and prior treatment history with dates, dosing, and duration, concomitant medications, and lifestyle factors including smoking status and alcohol use. Additional standard laboratory values and clinical assessments collected as part of the patient's routine care may be captured on customized case report forms.
Disease-Specific Annotation
Disease state whole blood often requires annotation tailored to the therapeutic area:
Oncology: Cancer stage and grade, tumor molecular subtype (when documented), prior lines of therapy, specific regimens and dates, progression dates, and surgical history.
Autoimmune: Disease activity scores (DAS-28, PASI, EASI, Mayo Score, CDAI), biologic treatment history, washout status, flare frequency, and duration of disease.
Metabolic: HbA1c, fasting glucose, lipid panels, BMI trends, insulin use, and oral medication history.
Data Validation
MT Group's dedicated clinical data team reviews every case report form for completeness, internal consistency, and accuracy before specimens are released. Discrepancies are resolved directly with the clinical site. This validation step ensures that the clinical annotation accompanying your whole blood specimens is reliable and research-ready.
Anticoagulant and Collection Tube
Selection for Whole Blood
The choice of anticoagulant and collection tube directly affects downstream analytical results—different systems preserve or alter specific blood components in ways that can impact your assay. MT Group collects human whole blood samples in the tube type that matches your research application, and our study design consultation includes guidance based on your intended use.
EDTA (Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid)
EDTA is the most widely used anticoagulant for whole blood collection for research. It chelates calcium to prevent coagulation and provides excellent preservation of blood cell morphology and most cellular antigens. EDTA whole blood is the standard for hematology (CBC), flow cytometry, immunophenotyping, genomic DNA extraction, and molecular diagnostics. Available in K2-EDTA and K3-EDTA formats.
Best suited for: Hematology, flow cytometry, immunophenotyping, genomic DNA extraction, molecular testing, HbA1c measurement
Sodium Citrate
Sodium citrate reversibly binds calcium, making it the standard anticoagulant for coagulation studies and platelet function testing. Citrate whole blood is required for PT, PTT, fibrinogen, and other coagulation assays, and is also used for erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) testing. The 3.2% concentration is standard for most coagulation applications.
Best suited for: Coagulation studies, platelet function assays, ESR testing, some flow cytometry applications
Sodium Heparin
Sodium heparin inhibits thrombin and preserves cell viability, making it the preferred anticoagulant for functional cellular assays, whole blood stimulation experiments, and cytokine release studies. Heparin-anticoagulated whole blood maintains lymphocyte and granulocyte function better than EDTA for many functional applications. Sodium heparin is also commonly used for HLA typing and chromosome analysis.
Best suited for: Whole blood stimulation assays, cytokine release studies, lymphocyte functional assays, HLA typing, chromosome analysis, mitogen response testing
PAXgene Blood RNA Tubes
PAXgene Blood RNA tubes are a frequently requested collection system for whole blood gene expression studies. These tubes contain a proprietary reagent that immediately stabilizes intracellular RNA at the point of collection, preventing ex vivo gene expression changes that occur rapidly after blood draw. PAXgene tubes eliminate the need for immediate RNA isolation at the collection site, making them well suited for multi-site prospective collections where processing infrastructure varies. Stabilized whole blood in PAXgene tubes can be shipped at ambient temperature and stored before RNA extraction without degradation.
Best suited for: Whole blood gene expression profiling, transcriptomic studies, RNA biomarker discovery, pharmacogenomics, host response studies
Streck Cell-Free DNA BCT Tubes
Streck Cell-Free DNA Blood Collection Tubes are widely used in whole blood collections supporting liquid biopsy and cell-free DNA (cfDNA) research. These tubes contain preservatives that stabilize nucleated blood cells and prevent genomic DNA contamination of the cell-free fraction—critical for applications where even minor white blood cell lysis can overwhelm the target cfDNA or ctDNA signal. Streck tubes allow whole blood to be shipped to your laboratory before plasma separation, with cell-free DNA stability maintained for longer timeframes at room temperature.
Best suited for: Liquid biopsy applications, circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) analysis, cell-free DNA research, non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT), minimal residual disease (MRD) detection
ACD (Acid Citrate Dextrose)
ACD is specifically designed to preserve cell viability over extended periods, making it a strong option when whole blood must be shipped overnight before processing. The dextrose component provides a metabolic substrate that helps maintain cell function during transit. ACD is widely used for flow cytometry, cell sorting, HLA typing, and any application where maximum cell viability after shipping is critical.
Best suited for: Overnight-shipped specimens requiring cell viability, flow cytometry, cell sorting, HLA typing, platelet studies, cellular therapy research
Other Collection Systems
Additional tube types including lithium heparin, Tempus Blood RNA tubes, and other specialized collection systems are available based on study requirements.
Fresh Whole Blood
Shipping and Handling
Fresh whole blood for research is a time-sensitive biospecimen. Cell viability, functional integrity, and analytical quality depend on controlled handling from draw to delivery. MT Group's collection SOPs and shipping logistics are designed to maintain specimen quality throughout this process.
Overnight Shipping
Fresh whole blood ships overnight directly from our collection sites to your laboratory. Specimens are packaged with ambient gel packs to maintain appropriate temperature during transit. Collection timing is coordinated with shipping schedules to minimize the interval between blood draw and laboratory receipt.
Collection-to-Lab Timing
For applications requiring maximum cell viability—such as functional assays, cell stimulation experiments, or flow cytometry—the interval between collection and processing is critical. MT Group coordinates collection schedules and carrier pickups to ensure next-morning delivery to your lab. Specific timing requirements can be built into your collection SOP.
Volume and Draw Specifications
Whole blood collection volumes are customized to your study requirements. Standard venipuncture can yield volumes appropriate for most research applications, with specific draw volumes, number of tubes, and tube types defined during study design. Multiple tube types can be drawn from the same subject at the same visit to support parallel processing into whole blood, plasma, serum, and buffy coat.
Longitudinal Whole
Blood Collections
Tracking immune cell dynamics, treatment response, and functional changes over time requires whole blood collected at defined intervals from the same patients. MT Group achieves over 90% subject retention across multi-timepoint studies, ensuring complete longitudinal datasets.
Longitudinal whole blood collection for research is particularly valuable for:
Immunotherapy monitoring: Serial whole blood draws to track immune cell phenotype and function across treatment cycles
Treatment response studies: Pre-treatment baseline, on-therapy, and post-treatment whole blood to characterize immune and hematologic changes
Disease progression: Longitudinal immune profiling to identify functional biomarkers associated with disease evolution
Vaccine response: Tracking cellular immune responses at defined intervals following immunization
Matched Specimen Collections
Whole blood can be collected alongside matched biospecimens from the same subjects and timepoints, including plasma, serum, buffy coat, urine, and—when the clinical setting permits—tissue biopsies. Multiple tube types can be drawn from the same venipuncture event, allowing your lab to process whole blood alongside plasma and serum from the same patient and timepoint.
Why Choose MT Group
for Whole Blood Collection
Disease-State Access: MT Group provides disease state whole blood from characterized patient populations across oncology, autoimmune, metabolic, cardiovascular, and other therapeutic areas, with the clinical annotation depth that translational research requires. Our established site network sees these patients routinely and can execute disease-specific collection protocols with overnight shipping coordination.
Consultative Study Design: MT Group asks detailed questions to fully understand your study objectives, downstream applications, and clinical data requirements before designing a collection protocol. We provide anticoagulant and tube type guidance matched to your analytical platforms and build collection SOPs that ensure consistent specimen quality across all subjects and sites.
Realistic Feasibility Assessment: We conduct thorough site feasibility evaluations to provide honest projections about enrollment potential and timelines. We frequently take over collections that other CROs have abandoned after overpromising and underdelivering, getting stalled studies back on track. By setting accurate expectations from the start, MT Group protects your research timelines and budget.
Proven Longitudinal Expertise: With over 90% subject retention rates in multi-timepoint studies, MT Group has demonstrated the operational discipline required for longitudinal whole blood collections. Our project management team provides weekly study updates and detailed collection notifications that make accessioning straightforward for your laboratory team.
Rigorous Quality and Data Validation: Every whole blood specimen undergoes quality review before release, including hemolysis assessment, volume verification, and labeling confirmation. Our clinical data team independently validates all annotation for completeness and internal consistency. If any specimen fails to meet agreed-upon specifications, we replace it at no additional cost.
Two Decades of Experience: MT Group has supported whole blood and blood-derived biospecimen collections for pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and diagnostics companies since 2003. Our sites are experienced in executing complex collection protocols that require precise anticoagulant handling, collection timing, and overnight shipping coordination.
Why Leading Researchers Choose MT Group
Frequently Asked Questions About Whole Blood for Research
Can I get whole blood from disease-state patients?
Yes. MT Group specializes in collecting disease state whole blood from characterized patient populations including oncology, autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, metabolic conditions, cardiovascular disease, and others. All disease state whole blood is accompanied by comprehensive clinical annotation including diagnosis, treatment history, disease staging or activity scores, comorbidities, and relevant laboratory values. Our prospective collection model allows us to activate new disease state whole blood collections based on your specific requirements and site feasibility.
What anticoagulant options are available for whole blood collections?
MT Group collects human whole blood samples in EDTA (K2 and K3), sodium citrate, sodium heparin, lithium heparin, ACD (acid citrate dextrose), PAXgene Blood RNA tubes, Streck Cell-Free DNA BCT tubes, and other specialized collection systems. Anticoagulant selection is specified during study design based on your downstream research application. EDTA is standard for hematology and flow cytometry, sodium heparin for functional cellular assays, citrate for coagulation studies, ACD for applications requiring maximum cell viability after overnight shipping, PAXgene for gene expression studies, and Streck for liquid biopsy and cfDNA applications.
What clinical data accompanies whole blood specimens?
Human whole blood samples are accompanied by comprehensive clinical documentation including demographics, diagnosis with date, complete treatment history, comorbidities, concomitant medications, lifestyle factors, and relevant laboratory values. Disease-specific annotation such as cancer staging, disease activity scores, or metabolic panels is captured on customized case report forms. All clinical data is validated by MT Group's dedicated data team for completeness and internal consistency before specimens are released.
What control populations are available for whole blood studies?
MT Group collects control whole blood from healthy donors, proven healthy donors (with documented health verification such as clean colonoscopy or physician wellness assessment), at-risk populations (subjects with risk factors but no diagnosis), and high-risk populations (subjects with elevated risk profiles such as pre-diabetic individuals or those with pre-malignant conditions). Control subjects can be matched to disease populations by age, sex, ethnicity, BMI, and other demographic parameters.
How is whole blood shipped?
Fresh whole blood for research ships overnight directly from our collection sites to your laboratory, packaged with ambient gel packs to maintain appropriate temperature during transit. Collection timing is coordinated with carrier pickups to ensure next-morning delivery to your lab.
Can PAXgene or Streck tubes be used for whole blood collections?
Yes. PAXgene Blood RNA tubes are frequently used in our whole blood collections for gene expression and transcriptomic studies—the tubes stabilize intracellular RNA immediately at the point of draw, eliminating the need for on-site RNA isolation and enabling ambient temperature shipping. Streck Cell-Free DNA BCT tubes are widely used for liquid biopsy applications, stabilizing the cell-free DNA fraction for up to 14 days and allowing whole blood to be shipped before plasma separation. Both tube types are well suited for multi-site prospective collections.
What volumes of whole blood can be collected?
Collection volumes are customized to your study requirements through standard venipuncture. Multiple tube types can be drawn from the same subject at the same visit, allowing parallel processing into whole blood, plasma, serum, and buffy coat from a single blood draw event.
Can whole blood be collected at multiple timepoints from the same patient?
Yes, longitudinal multi-timepoint collections are a core specialty. MT Group achieves over 90% subject retention in longitudinal studies by designing collection schedules around standard-of-care visit patterns and maintaining strong site-subject relationships. Timepoints are defined during study design and can include pre-treatment baselines, on-therapy draws, post-treatment surveillance, and disease progression events.
When should I order whole blood instead of isolated blood components?
Whole blood is preferred when your research requires the complete cellular milieu in physiological ratios—including granulocytes, monocytes, lymphocytes, platelets, and red blood cells—or when you need to perform the isolation and processing in your own laboratory under controlled conditions. Whole blood is essential for functional assays such as whole blood stimulation, certain flow cytometry panels that include granulocyte markers, coagulation studies, and any application where cell-cell interactions in native blood are important. If you only need a specific fraction such as plasma, serum, or buffy coat, MT Group can process and ship those components directly.
How is disease state whole blood different from healthy donor whole blood?
Disease state whole blood reflects the immunological and hematological impact of active disease—altered immune cell populations, shifted activation states, abnormal cell counts, and functional changes driven by disease pathology and treatment effects. The clinical annotation requirements are also substantially different: disease state whole blood requires detailed treatment histories, disease staging, response data, and comorbidity profiles that healthy donor whole blood does not. This clinical context is what enables meaningful translational research with disease state specimens.
What is the turnaround time for whole blood collections?
Prospective whole blood collection for research typically begins 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. Enrollment timelines depend on your specific eligibility criteria and disease population.
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