1. COLLECT PATIENT BLOOD SAMPLE • Draw one (1) SST tube (Serum Separator Tube) from each patient using standard venipuncture technique • Allow blood to clot for minutes in a vertical position • Label tubes with patient name, date of birth, and date/ time of collection.

2. CENTRIFUGE TUBE IMPORTANT: Do not centrifuge immediately after drawing blood. Allow the blood to clot in an upright position for at least 30 minutes but not longer than 90 minutes before centrifugation. Centrifuge for at least 15 minutes at RPM . Following centrifugation, the gel should be intact and the cells and serum should be completely separated.

3. TRANSFER LIQUID COMPONENT (SERUM) INTO A CLEAN POLYPROPYLENE TUBE USING A PIPETTE Aliquot or separate into 2 ml polypropylene tubes into four (4) 1 ml aliquots.

4. Make sure each tube has patient label

5. PLACE FROZEN, LABELED ALIQUOT SAMPLE IN SPECIMEN BOX 2 Aliquot tubes are shipped to GDB and keep 2 in the event of a shipping accident Include up to 40 patients within box

6. Place specimen box in plastic bag Ship only 1 box

7. Do not place samples loose in the dry ice Place a layer of dry ice on bottom of Styrofoam container Place specimen box in bag on top of dry ice cover with remaining dry ice

8. DRY ICE LABELS (UN 1845) ON 2 VERTICAL SIDES OF BOX Complete Shipper’s information and weight of dry ice on UN 1845 Labels. Do not affix UN 1845 Labels on top or bottom of box.

9. Specimens should be shipped Priority Overnight, Express or Next Day Air per individual shipper designations.