Destructive sampling is the permanent removal of material from a specimen. Invasive sampling are procedures that alter the state of a specimen such as dissection. Invasive sampling is a form of destructive sampling.
Complete the MCZ Genetic Sample Request form and email it to Mark Omura, the Curatorial Associate in Mammalogy, to request a destructive sample loan. Destructive sampling requests are considered on a case by case basis. If approved, sampling will be performed by MCZ curatorial staff. Loans are then processed by MCZ’s Cryogenic Collection (MCZ-CRYO; Collection Manager: Breda Zimkus)
If you are requesting a fluid specimen to dissect but do not need tissue samples please follow the guidelines for fluid specimen loans.
Please read the loan policies below before proceeding.
Loan Policies
Please read the museum wide destructive sampling policy.
Requestor Eligibility
The borrower must have an institutional affiliation. Individuals without such affiliation may borrow only when they are sponsored by an individual with such an affiliation, and agree to study the material at the sponsor's institution. In such cases, loans will be sent to the sponsor at the sponsor's institutional address. The loaned material may not leave the sponsor’s institution.
Loan requests for student and postdoctoral fellow use need to be requested and cosigned by their advisor. Additionally, researchers visiting other institutions may request loans for use at that institution, but the request must come from a resident curator or collection manager from that institution. Ultimate responsibility of the specimens is assumed by the institution to which the specimens are loaned.
Specimen Eligibility
In most cases, loan requests for primary types, historically important, endangered, threatened, or are rare in the MCZ’s collection or generally rare in museum collections will not be loaned.
Specimen Use and Care
The borrower assumes responsibility for the care of specimens. Specimens are loaned to a specific person for a specific purpose. The specimens are not to be used by any other person(s) and or for any purpose other than what is outlined in the approved research proposal.
Loan Details
Once the loan request is received, it is discussed at the weekly departmental meeting. The loan will either be approved, denied, or additional information will be requested. Approved loans are processed in the order they are received. After the loan is approved and sampling is complete, it is forwarded to MCZ-CRYO for shipping.
Specimens are ordinarily loaned for a period of six months. Borrowers are requested to return all specimens as soon as possible upon completion of their research. Partial returns are acceptable. If the specimens are needed for longer than six months, it is the responsibility of the borrower to contact Breda Zimkus, the MCZ-CRYO Collection Manager, in writing to request an extension. Request for an extension must be made before the current loan period expires.
If not all the genetic material is consumed, any unused portion must be returned to the MCZ-CRYO after the study is complete. Grantees may be requested to return extracts derived from granted samples (e.g., DNA).
Loans may not be moved between institutions without prior permission. It is the responsibility of the borrower to notify the MCZ curatorial staff of any change of address in a timely manner so appropriate measure can be taken.
Genetic samples and their derivatives cannot be distributed to other researchers without MCZ permission.
Domestic shipping
The MCZ will pay for shipping samples dry (if from a destructive sampling loan) or preserved in 95% ethanol via UPS Ground (arrival typically in one to five business days) at ambient temperature. If special considerations for shipping are requested (e.g., dry ice, expedited shipping), the borrower must provide a shipping service account (DHL, FedEx, UPS, etc.) in their initial request or make alternative arrangements to reimburse shipping costs.
International shipping
Loanees are expected to pay for international shipping. The borrower must provide a shipping service account (DHL, FedEx, UPS, etc.) in their initial request or make alternative arrangements to reimburse shipping costs. Genetic loans are normally shipped internationally at ambient temperature via FedEx 2Day® (arrival typically in two days by 10:30 a.m.) or FedEx Express Saver® (arrival typically in three days by 4:30 p.m.). For most countries, the price for samples shipped using these FedEx services will range from $50 to $100 (without institutional discounts). Expedited shipments or those shipped on dry ice will cost significantly more.
Exportation Fees
International loans of protected species (e.g., CITES, ESA, MBTA) include a $93 premium fee assessed by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, which is required before a shipment can be cleared for exportation. Loanees must make advance arrangements to pay these fees. Please contact the MCZ-CRYO for more details.
Customs Clearance and Fees
Loanees are asked to provide the required paperwork for customs clearance. It is the responsibility of the loanee to make any arrangements necessary for prompt payment of customs duties assessed on a loan shipped from the MCZ.
Loan returns
Any remaining material or unused byproducts (e.g., DNA extractions, RNA extractions) should be returned to the MCZ Cryogenic Collection. Please contact the MCZ Cryogenic Collection to arrange the return. When returning loaned material, loanees should adhere to DOT 173.4 (domestic) and IATA SP A180 (international) packing requirements.
Copyright and Publications
Credit for any use of MCZ material should be given in resulting publications. Publications should include a table that lists MCZ voucher numbers and reprints should be sent to both the Department of Mammalogy and MCZ-CRYO.
Publications should include a table that lists MCZ voucher numbers and acknowledge the MCZ departmental collection (i.e., Mammalogy) and MCZ-CRYO for providing samples. Grantees must provide reprints of any publications to the MCZ-CRYO. In addition, GenBank, NCBI BioProject, NBCI BioSample or other accession numbers for published sequence data must be submitted to officially close the loan.
Permission to photograph, CT scan, or otherwise image loaned specimens must be specifically requested in the loan request. Please review the Permissions & Copyright Policy for more information. Copies of all images must be sent to the Mammalogy department. Please read the guidelines for submitting digital media.