Sample Submission

All investigators must create an account that is password protected per investigator at this website and follow instructions for submission of samples.

The website is not pre-populated with information. All responsible researchers/users must create an account. Once your name and the P.I.'s name are in the system, you will not be required to create a new account when additional and / or new projects are added.

Samples for hormones, amino acids, nucleotides and stable isotope measurements are logged in at 713 PRB or 758 PRB accordingly. Samples for Lipid Analysis must be taken to Room CC-3327 Medical Center North.

Creating an Account

Click on the "Create New Account" link on the right side of the page.
Complete the requested registration information.
Click the "Register" button.
Wait 5 minutes and you will receive an email indicates your registration has been activated.
Click on the link in the email.
Choose a password for your account. Enter it twice - once in each field of the web page; the second to confirm.
Click the "Activate Account" button. A web page will appear indicating that the account has been activated.

Once you have registered and selected a password, you can log in by entering your username and password on the right side of the web page. After you log in, the right side bar will change to a new menu that you can use to access your project-specific information.

My Projects

This is the first page you will see when you log in. From here, a quick overview of all of an investigator's projects are available.

My Settings

Any of the information supplied at registration can be viewed and changed here - if your phone number or email address changes, use this section to inform the core.

Creating a New Project

Users who have begun a new protocol can create a new project.

Specify the Primary Investigator. The PI is the person who is financially responsible for the experiments. They will be notified by email of all work requested of the Hormone Assay & Analytical Services Core.
Because we need to be able to contact them, the PI must have an account before the project can be created.
After clicking on the "Create New Project" link, specify the PI for the new project. Enter the PI's name into the text boxes and click the "Search" button. Find your PI in the list that appears, and click the "Set" link next to their name. The next page will ask you to specify the details of your project including title and the name of the PI.
Once you've filled in all of your information, click the "Create New Project" button.

Sample Submission

Begin the sample submission process by clicking the "Submit New Samples" button on the project page.

Choose the Species relative to the samples to be assayed (i.e. mouse, human/canine/rat).
Choose the category(s) for the analysis (i.e. Hormone Assays, HPLC Applications, Lipid Profiles, Oxidative Stress Analysis)
Click the "Create Template" button"
Follow the directions on the next page

Very Important Note

Please explain any assay request that is not listed in the spreadsheet that is designated as "other" in the Special Instruction box. Do not leave what "Other" is to the memory of Core Personnel. They will not know unless it is defined. Use this box to list dilution information and any pertinent information that will be helpful in sample analysis.

MMPC investigators must indicate anticipated levels for the various hormones/analytes measured and whether duplicates or a single data point is required. All samples for mouse assays are diluted because of limited sample volume. Therefore, this information is required so that accurate dilutions can be determined based upon investigator needs.

After all samples have been entered, scroll to the top of the page and fill in the "Vanderbilt Billing Center" box. If you are a Vanderbilt investigator, this is the billing center number that the work will be charged to.
If you are external to Vanderbilt, fill in this box with the method of your payment (PO number usually). External investigators should contact the Core before submitting samples to be sure that the method of payment is acceptable.
If the correct billing information is not provided, data will not be posted until it is corrected. Please make sure this information is in your project and correct before bringing or shipping samples to the Core.
After entering all of the required information, click the "Review Order" button at the bottom of the screen. You will be shown a summary of the sample and billing data entered.
Please review all information for accuracy, and click "Place Order" after review.
Your samples are not entered into the system until you press the "Place Order" button.
A confirmation email will be emailed to you and the project PI upon receipt of the electronic submission. This email contains a PDF copy of your order form and directions for physically submitting the samples. Make sure you read and follow these instructions.
Once you have submitted the spreadsheet, your submission will be listed in the "Waiting for Samples" section of the website. As soon as your samples have been received and assessed by the Core, they will be listed under "Ready to Assay".
Mouse users must complete the "Request for Services" at the MMPC website and a copy of the form should also accompany samples.

Shipping of Hormones and HPLC Analysis

Outside investigators should ship samples overnight on dry ice to:

713 PRB
2220 Pierce Ave.
Nashville, TN 37232

Please ship samples Monday through Wednesday so that the core receives them no later than Thursday of any given week.

Data Retrieval

The Hormone Assay & Analytical Services Core will attempt to analyze and provide data within 2 to 3 weeks of receiving the batch of specimens. This timeline is dependent on workload and in the case of the mouse assays, the number of samples for a given assay and length of incubation time for the assay. Check the database for your results.