Nordic BioSite sample collection range

 

Overview

Nordic BioSite has expanded its product portfolio to include a wide range of sample collection tubes, devices and reagents to meet the varied needs of academic and clinical researchers who rely on stable sample collection and storage to enhance ease of working, successful experimentation and reliability of data.

BioSite collection devices are filled with reagents that preserve the nucleic acid content of the sample, stabilize it for storage at ambient temperature, and render the sample non-pathogenic for safe transport and handling.

Background

Laboratory standard sample collection is a prerequisite for successful analysis and is an essential component of the experimental workflow. Unfortunately, the quality of collected samples is easily compromised during storage and transport due to nucleic acid and antigen degradation caused by biological factors, enzymatic activity and environmental conditions. Samples destined for microbial community profiling (e.g., soil and feces) are particularly susceptible to nucleic acid degradation and also to changes in the overall microbial composition. This is because some microorganisms continue to grow after collection, unless the sample is deactivated. Furthermore, transportation of pathogen-containing biological samples may be challenging for both safety and financial reasons.

Saliva and swab analysis is becomingly increasingly important throughout research and diagnostics, in such studies as the oral microbiome, for disease biomarkers, and for non-invasive genetic testing in saliva. Obtaining and preserving a good saliva or swab sample is critical to success in these areas.

Quantitative nucleic acid profiling of stool samples has also taken off in recent years, fuelled largely by the explosion in microbiome research. Accurate data analysis in this fast-growing field is hampered by a number of technical obstacles, one being proper sample collection and preservation. Shifts in microbial community composition during uncontrolled sample handling and storage create bias that greatly challenges the validity of microbiomics data. One way to reduce this bias is to preserve such samples, in order to capture a molecular snapshot at the exact point of sample collection and thus increase confidence in the data output.

Within the rapidly expanding field of microbiomics, intense efforts are underway to improve the efficiency of cell lysis and nucleic acid isolation, as well as the accuracy of sequencing workflows for reliable microbial profiling. While accurate profiling depends on an entirely optimized workflow, problems stemming from poor sample collection and storage can greatly skew the results before the experiments even begin.

In short, poor quality sample starting material can feed through to poor quality data.

Products

Nordic BioSite’s sample collection range covers seven key research application areas:

1. Saliva and Swabs
For simple and non-invasive saliva collection and preservation, BioSite offers Norgen Biotek’s collection devices for room temperature preservation of DNA or RNA for up to five years or two months, respectively. These devices contain preservative aqueous storage buffers that simultaneously stabilize nucleic acids, while ensuring rapid cell lysis and complete microbial inactivation. Preserved nucleic acids can be isolated from saliva and swabs using most commercially available isolation kits. For DNA analysis, these saliva collection and preservation devices are available as both research-use only or CE-marked products.

For swab collection and preservation, BioSite offers Norgen Biotek’s Swab Collection and DNA Preservation Kit, which preserves DNA in storage for up to two years at room temperature, as well as Zymo Research swabs in collection tubes with their all-in-one nucleic acid preservation reagent, DNA/RNA ShieldTM, which preserves both DNA (two years) and RNA (one month) at room temperature.

2. Stool Samples
Here, we offer a range of stool collection devices containing specialized preservatives to stabilize and protect nucleic acids while simultaneously deactivating microbes to yield an accurate microbial profile. Specifically, we offer Norgen Biotek’s Stool Nucleic Acid Collection and Preservation Tubes, Stool Nucleic Acid Collection and Preservation System, and a complete Fecal Swab Collection and Preservation System, all of which accommodate 2 g of stool sample, and stabilize both DNA and RNA at ambient temperature for 2 years or 7 days, respectively. For smaller sample amounts (30 mg), we offer the Fecal DNA Collection and Preservation Mini Tubes from Norgen Biotek. DNA can be preserved in these tubes for up to 27 months at room temperature. The mini tubes also contain an aliquot of beads for convenient mechanical lysis of stool samples.
DNA/RNA ShieldTM from Zymo Research is also available in Fecal Collection Tubes, permitting room temperature storage of stool samples (1 g) for up to one month (RNA) or two years (DNA).

3. Whole Blood and Liquid Biopsy
For whole blood and liquid biopsy collection and preservation, BioSite offers a complete range of cell-free (cf) DNA, RNA and whole blood collection tubes and reagents from Streck, Cytomark and Norgen Biotek.

• • Streck’s cfDNA blood collection tubes (BCT)

contain a patented preservative that stabilizes cfRNA in plasma and prevents the release of non-target background RNA during sample processing and storage, paving the way for high-quality cfDNA isolation for use in a range of downstream applications, such as liquid biopsy, assay development, sequencing and real-time PCR. Streck BCT tubes keep cfDNA and cfRNA stable for 14 days or 7 days respectively, at ambient temperatures. They are available as both research-use only or CE-marked products.

• • Streck Cyto-Chex BCT

allows preservation of whole blood samples for immunophenotyping by flow cytometry. The preservative in Cyto-Chex BCT maintains the integrity of the white blood cell cluster of differentiation (CD) markers for up to 14 days at room temperature for convenient transport, storage and processing. Streck’s Cell Preservative can also be purchased as a standalone reagent, and is ideal for the storage and stabilization of bone marrow aspirates, surgical tissue samples, fine needle aspirates and peripheral and umbilical cord blood for up to 7 days at room temperature.

• Cytomark TransFix®

 

range provides a complete stabilization solution for phenotyping through the stabilization of cellular antigens, and prevents cellular degradation in a variety of sample types (e.g., whole blood, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), bone marrow and circulating tumor cells) for up to 14 days in refrigeration. The range includes CE-marked EDTA Vacuum Blood Collection Tubes, Sample Storage Tubes (without coagulant), specialized EDTA CSF Sample Storage Tubes, and Phlebotomy Packs for the drawing and stabilization of whole blood samples. For flexibility, Cytomark’s CE/IVD cellular antigen stabilization reagent can be purchased in various TransFix Bulk quantities.

• Norgen Biotek cfDNA Preservative Tubes

 

for research use allow room temperature preservation of cfDNA for up to 30 days, or eight days at 37 °C for even greater flexibility.

• Zymo Research DNA/RNA ShieldTM

 

is also suitable for storage and stabilization of blood samples, and is available in specialized Blood Sample Collection Tubes or as a more concentrated stand-alone preservative for flexibility in storing larger volume samples (2x concentrate). Note: DNA/RNA ShieldTM lyzes cells and is therefore not suitable for samples destined for cell-free nucleic acid analysis.

• Norgen Biotek Blood DNA Preservative Buffer (3x)

 

is specialized for DNA stabilization in high volume samples and allows storage for 2 weeks at room temperature.

4. Urine
Streck Cell-Free DNA Urine Preserve is a formaldehyde-free aqueous reagent that stabilizes cellular components and cfDNA in urine for up to seven days across a wide temperature range (6 °C – 37 °C). The preservative enhances the stability of cfDNA and prevents lysis of nucleated blood cells and release of cellular genomic DNA. Isolated cfDNA is highly suited to a range of downstream applications, such as prenatal diagnosis, disease diagnosis and treatment efficacy monitoring, and organ transplant rejection monitoring.

Zymo Research offers a specialized Urine Conditioning Buffer, which is a highly concentrated preservative to facilitate convenient storage of large volumes of urine. Urine in this buffer can be stored for up to one month at room temperature. The Zymo Research Urine Collection Kit combines the Urine Collection Cup and the Urine Conditioning Buffer offering an all-in-one solution for urine collection and preservation.

From Norgen Biotek, we offer a Urine Preservative Single Dose, which ensures long-term stability of RNA, miRNA, DNA and proteins for up to 2 years at room temperature. This reagent is highly versatile, stabilizing cell-free macromolecules, exfoliated cells and microorganisms. The same preservative is also available as a dried powder in Norgen Biotek’s Urine Collection and Preservation Tubes. For greater flexibility, these tubes are available in 3 convenient sizes.

5. Microbial Samples
For microbial sample collection and preservation, Zymo Research provides a range of swabs and tubes with DNA/RNA ShieldTM, with or without their proprietary high-density Bashing BeadsTM for highly efficient mechanical lysis of all microbial samples, including hard-to-lyze gram-positive bacteria, yeast and filamentous fungi, from feces and soil samples. Bashing BeadsTM for microbial lysis comprise a mixture of 0.1 mm and 0.5 mm ceramic beads and are validated for highly efficient lysis of a broad spectrum of microorganisms.

To allow you to optimize and standardize your entire microbiomics workflow, Zymo Research launched the ZymoBIOMICS product line in 2016, a one-of-a-kind complete microbiomics range, which includes DNA/RNA shield™, a selection of DNA and microbial community standards, and a broad range of low-bioburden nucleic acid isolation kits in tube, 96-well or magnetic bead format for automation.

6. Tissue Samples
DNA/RNA ShieldTM from Zymo Research is suitable for collection and storage of all tissue types and can be custom-filled into customer-supplied vials or collection tubes to meet the varied needs of researchers. To facilitate a smoother sample collection and tissue lysis process, Zymo Research also offers lysis tubes containing DNA/RNA ShieldTM and Bashing BeadsTM for highly efficient mechanical lysis of all tissue types. With DNA/RNA ShieldTM, DNA or RNA is stable for up to two years or one month at room temperature, respectively.

7. Milk
Norgen Biotek’s Milk DNA Preservation and Isolation kit provides an all-in-one solution for the collection, preservation and isolation of DNA from milk at room temperature. Milk samples are stable for one month at room temperature or one week at 37 °C. DNA from both mammalian and bacterial cells can be isolated from as little as 100 μL milk.

Accessories and Equipment

Nordic BioSite’s sample collection range also includes Norgen Biotek’s Sterile Individually Wrapped Swabs and Zymo Research’s Urine Collection Cups. These devices can be used with any chosen preservative or in a preservative-free manner, according to specific needs. Norgen Biotek also offers packs of sample mailing envelopes that fulfil both OSHA standards and IATA regulations for safe and convenient shipping of biological samples, providing a convenient shipping solution with peace-of-mind.

For field researchers, BioSite provides the Zymo Research TerraLyzerTM handheld mechanical disruption device for cordless, portable, and convenient homogenization of difficult-to-lyse biological and environmental samples. This device allows researchers to “take the Lab to the Field”, enabling on-the-spot lysis of samples at the sites of collection. Although ideal for those who carry out fieldwork, the TerraLyzerTM is also suitable for lab-based work and is an excellent solution to those who don’t have access to high-throughput mechanical disruption equipment.

All Zymo Research’s sample collection devices can be custom-filled depending on researcher needs.

Resources

Click on Nordic BioSite sample collection range for more information.
Click on Nordic Biosite to contact the company directly.

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Supplier Information
Supplier: Nordic Biosite
Address: Propellervägen 4A, 183 62 Täby, Sweden
Tel: +46 (0)8 544 433 40
Fax: +46 (0)8 756 94 90
Website: www.nordicbiosite.com

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