Shipping Containers (Boxes) to CTRC

Requirements:

CTRC must be added as a ‘site’ within your specific collection protocol
- The ‘Administrator’ user role can perform this in your CP, otherwise request this action be performed by submitting a https://utahctsi.atlassian.net/servicedesk/customer/portal/4/group/39/create/74
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Shipping boxes to CTRC or another laboratory when the samples are to remain in your protocol and specimen ownership remains with you.

**Not to be used when distributing samples to investigators for their usage.

Use shipments in OpenSpecimen to track the movement of specimens between laboratories on campus using OpenSpecimen. If specimens are shipped, they remain active in your protocol, but they can be transferred to other freezers at a different location, such as the CTRC Biorepository. If a sample is shipped to another investigator off campus for usage or to another investigator on campus who will be utilizing it for a different IRB, use Distribution Protocols <insert link>. Distributing a specimen marks the sample as closed and no longer available with a record of who it was sent to and who approved the distribution. If a sample is shipped, it remains active and available for your usage and its location is the only thing that changes.

Before you begin,

Identify the containers to be shipped and export the unique box names using a query. Alternatively, if you have barcoded your boxes with their unique names, they can be directly scanned.
Receiving Site: Identify the Site to which the samples will be sent. Contact the Biorepository Manager to determine the name of the Room (Site) where your samples will eventually reside and enter that as the ‘Receiving Site’. Ensure that the CTRC Freezer Site has been added to your CP as a Site (contact your CP admin or send an OpenSpecimen helpticket to BMIC to request).
Receiving Institute: will always be University of Utah Health
Sending Site: Identify the Site where the containers are currently stored. The Site is listed in the container overview list of the freezers.
Notify Users: Choose the name of the Biorepository Manager at the CTRC who will be receiving your boxes.

Create a Shipment

Create a shipment

Navigate to ‘Shipments’ using the hamburger menu on the OpenSpecimen homepage.
Choose ‘Containers’ from the ‘Create’ button.
Complete the required fields and any optional fields if using a shipping company. If prompted, enter a Name for your shipment. This will be autogenerated in v10.3 (Feb 2024). See descriptions above for the values to enter in these fields.
**If a Biorepository gives you a specific name to use for Receiving Site, use that instead of ‘Cellular Translational Research Core’. Whatever Site Name they provide must be added as a Site to your CP prior to shipping samples or specimens.
Choose ‘Next’ to navigate to the Containers tab where the boxes to be shipped will be entered.
Paste a list of Container names or scan the container names, if barcoded, into the box. Click ‘Add’ when finished.
Choose ‘Ship’ or ‘Save Draft’ to add additional boxes at a later time.
The shipment record is created. Proceed with sending the samples to the new location. The individuals specified in ‘Notify Users’ will receive an email with this information and they can then access and receive your containers when they arrive at the new location.

Receive Containers at CTRC

When containers are shipped, an email should be sent to the Biorepository Manager to notify you to expect the containers.

Follow the link in the email or navigate to the shipment using the hamburger menu and choose the shipment from the list. In order to receive a shipment and store boxes, there are a few issues that need to be addressed before ‘Receiving’.

Add the Protocols to the Freezer

Add the Protocols to the Allowed CPs in the freezer

Add the Protocols to the Allowed CPs in the freezer where the boxes will be placed and the CTRC Virtual Freezer.
1. Navigate to the freezer
2. Edit
3. Add the new CP to ‘Collection Protocols’ allowed in the freezer.

Receive the shipment to Cellular Translational Research Center

Receiving into CTRC as the site: requires transfer to permanent site

Navigate to the shipment to view all details. There are 3 tabs:
1. Overview shows the details of the shipment.
2. Containers shows the list of all boxes shipped. Check the list against the actual boxes received.
3. Specimens shows all specimens in all of the boxes.
4. Follow your own SOP to confirm the integrity of the shipment.
Click ‘Receive’ from the ‘Overview’ tab.
Add any needed comments and edit Date if other than current date/time.
Select the Container details where the boxes will be stored and the Received Quality.

Transfer to permanent location

Transfer box to permanent Room and Freezer from CTRC Virtual location

Transfer to permanent freezer
1. Navigate to the Box and choose ‘Transfer’ from the ‘More’ button.
2. In the pop-up menu, choose the ‘Site’ where the permanent freezer is located.
3. Then choose the Parent Container (This will be the rack or tower where the box will be placed.) Then use the magnifying glass to find available slots in the rack.
4. The pop-up shows that there are 4 available slots in Tower A. Choose ‘Select’ to manually choose a slot.
5. Available locations are shown as grey. Choose one and click ‘Done’.
6. This fills in the container details where the box will be placed. Enter a ‘Reason’ and Click ‘Transfer’.

Receive shipment directly to the Freezer Site

If the Permanent Room is used as the Receiving Site

For large shipments of multiple boxes, it is simpler to accept them directly into the freezer site where they will be stored. The requires that you communicate with the sender and provide the Site name to the shipper before the samples are shipped.

Follow the steps above to receive a shipment. But for Location, you can now directly choose the freezer location to store the boxes.

An example of two boxes shipped directly to Room 100D as the Receiving Site: