Instructions for collection & mailing

 of buccal swabs

Buccal swab kits may be purchased from

Record subject # (No Names or other identifiers !!!!)

Have subject swish mouth with water

Gently rub the brush on the inner surface of each cheek for about 2 minutes

let air dry for 15 - 30 mins (just stand upright exposed to ambient air)

Place buccal brush into plastic container for overnight mail OR storage at -20 deg freezer

DNA from frozen swabs can be easily extracted in-house using a simple heatblock set-up as described in the extraction kits. The extraction merely involves incubating the swabs at 65 and 98 deg for different periods of time encompassing about 1 hour. DNA purified immediately from fresh or recently frozen buccal swabs is suitable for genotyping. DNA purified from swabs that have been mailed over the course of several days is often degraded and more difficult to genotype. Heatblocks can be purchased from Fisher Scientific: Thermolyne Single Block Unit, Thermostat Control Modular Dri Bath, Cat # 11-716-68 (approx. $230) and Modular Block (20 wells) Cat # 11-716-54 (approx $80) and Vortex Cat# ..... You will need 2 heatblocks; one set at 65 deg and the other set at 98 deg. For shipment, pack DNA samples in dry ice and express mail.