Fibroblast Culturing and DNA Extraction
Pricing
Our discounted price for culturing and DNA extraction is $600 for institutional billing and self-pay pricing. If cells fail to grow in culture, we will charge a reduced fee of $350 and will supply DNA from the direct tissue specimen to the performing laboratory, if appropriate/available.
Kits/Materials
We can provide shipping kits free of charge to providers within the contiguous United States. For US providers (excluding Alaska and Hawaii): To order a shipping kit, please provide the name, address, and phone number of the person we will be shipping to in an email to info@allelediagnostics.com. If the patient has an appointment set for the skin biopsy, please provide the date so we can ensure the kit arrives prior to the appointment. For providers in Alaska, Hawaii, or outside the US: Please contact us at at info@allelediagnostics.com or 844-255-3532 with any questions about optimal shipping conditions for specimens.
Culturing Protocol
We extract from the skin biopsy then culture. Our priority is to attempt to obtain DNA from cultures. We will maintain cultures as a backup until testing is complete or until cultures are no longer healthy.
Forms
Each sample should come with an Allele Diagnostics requisition form Fibroblast Test Requisition Form requesting culturing and DNA extraction. In addition, each sample should include a completed test requisition for the laboratory that will be performing testing on the cultured DNA sample.
Communication
We will automatically inform a client if a culture fails. If you would like to be informed of successful culture extraction and shipping, please specify that on the requisition and include a reliable method of contact (phone number or email).
Billing
Allele offers institutional billing and self-pay. We do not bill insurance. If a patient opts for self-pay, we require payment information prior to processing the specimen. Credit card information may be provided with the specimen, or the patient may call the laboratory and provide a credit card number in advance of receiving the specimen. The discounted price for patient-pay and institutional billing is the same.
Additional Information
Skin biopsies are very fragile specimens. Tissue culture success can depend on numerous factors including age
of the specimen, age of the patient, shipping conditions, etc. To maximize the likelihood the specimen will grow
in culture, we recommend using an Allele-supplied kit or shipping label to ensure the sample arrives in the lab
the day after collection. We also ask for specimens to be collected under sterile conditions and shipped in
RPMI or sterile saline. The recommended size skin punch is 2x2 or 3x3 mm. If using your own label/kit, we
recommend overnight shipping, with Saturday delivery marked if sending late in the week. Please use the
following shipping address:
- Allele Diagnostics
- 120 N. Pine St., Ste. 152
- Spokane, WA 99202
Allele does NOT have a New York State License, so we cannot accept specimens from New York.