We are trying to transport tissue specimens from several countries to our research centre in Doha for genetic evaluation and have not found a reliable technique which keeps the tissue in good condition for our work.
What do you want to do with the tissue? Genetic evaluation, does that mean you only extract DNA and do some sequencing?
How long is your transport time?
Thank you for your reply, We will be carrying out DNA extraction but also hope to carry out some cell cultures too. The transport time can be up to 5 days.
DNA extraction and analysis should be no issue, no matter how you transport your samples.
Primary cell culture is often difficult to begin with, depending very much on the type of tissue. After a 5 day transport, it doesn't get easier and I doubt there is a fool-proof 100% solution for getting this to work. Keeping the transport time as short as possible is number one rule.....
Michel's transport medium is a special fixative intended to allow for immunofluorescence analysis of antibodies on the sample. It's not intended to keep the cells viable, and I don't think they will stay viable.
Not quite sure about polytransport buffer, but it does contain membrane stabilizers and cryoprotectants, something I would not add to samples you want to use in primary cell culture. But it still might work, don't know....
I guess usually people put primary tissue into tissue culture medium like DMEM or RPMI 1640, with 10% FCS and 1% Pen-Strep for transport. You can try to cool it down to 4°C, but don't freeze the sample. Ambient temperature is usually fine, as long as transport doesn't take more than two-three days. You usually get ok results with skin biopsies (primary fibroblast culture) or e.g. chorionic villous samples (cytogenetic analysis). Peripheral blood samples are easiest, just use heparin as anticoagulant and the lymphocytes can be growth stimulated after a week of transport at ambient temperature.
Good luck!
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