Specimen and shipping requirements

3billion accepts specimens as described below. Only acceptable specimens will proceed to testing.

1. Specimen type

Whole Blood

• Criteria:

  • Minimum 1 mL of blood

• Unacceptable specimen:

  • Hemolyzed or clotted blood
  • Blood from patients who received allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant
  • Blood from patients who received any blood product containing leukocytes within 2 weeks prior to specimen collection
  • Specimen is not cold enough at the time of arrival at 3billion laboratory.
  • Specimen with any specious signs of contamination such as blood leaking out of the container, crushed container, or unknown sediment present in the blood.

• Container:

  • Pink or purple-top tubes containing EDTA

• Labeling:

  • 3billion ID and date-of-birth (DOB) should be directly labeled on the tube

• Shipping temperature:

  • Room temperature within 1 day after sample collection
  • We recommend including cold packs in your package if:
    • the shipment cannot arrive at 3billion overnight
    • shipping during the hot weather
    • shipping frozen blood

Buccal swab

• Criteria:

  • We provide a buccal swab collection kit upon your request. Please contact support@3billion.io to get assistance with delivering the kits. There is no additional charge for requesting collection kits.

• Unacceptable specimen:

  • Other buccal swab collection kit is unacceptable

• Container:

  • The instructions on how to collect the specimen are enclosed in the kit. Use both swabs for the collection and break them in the provided tube containing the preservation buffer.

• Labeling:

  • 3billion ID and date-of-birth (DOB) should be directly labeled on the tube containing the preservation buffer, not on the plastic package.

• Shipping temperature:

  • Room temperature within 1 weeks after sample collection

DNA

• Criteria:

  • Intact Genomic DNA (gDNA) must be extracted from a CLIA-certified laboratory or a laboratory appropriately qualified for extracting DNA for clinical testing. Specimens not meeting the quality/quantity criteria as described below will not be accepted. Even if the criteria below are met, highly degraded DNA will not be accepted.
  • Total amount: 2.0 µg of intact gDNA
  • Concentration: 20 ng/µL
  • Volume: 100 µL
  • Purity: A260/A280 1.7~1.9
  • Buffer: Dissolved in TE buffer

• Acceptable specimen source:

  • The most appropriate type: DNA extracted from peripheral venous blood samples.
  • The followings are also acceptable: frozen blood, buccal swab, saliva, and cultured fibroblasts.

• Unacceptable specimen source:

  • Prenatal sampling: chorionic villus, amniocyte, amniotic fluid and products of conception or abortus.
  • Tumors tissues
  • Peripheral blood or saliva from patients with active hematologic malignancy in peripheral circulation.
  • Paraffin-embedded tissues

• Container:

  • We only accept 1.5 mL microcentrifuge tubes.

• Labeling:

  • 3billion ID and date-of-birth (DOB) should be directly labeled on the tube

• Shipping temperature:

  • gDNA should be shipped overnight at room temperature. If shipping during the hot-weather during the hot-weather season, outside, including South Korea and hot-weather regions, we recommend including cold packs in your package.

• DNA Sample Information Form:

  • You must download and complete the 3billion DNA Sample Information Form and include a printed copy in the shipment.

2. Documents

A printed copy of the requisition form and the informed consent form must be submitted with the specimen. The collection date and collection time must be filled out on your requisition form. The testing will not start if these documents are missing.

3. Shipping information

• Shipping address:
  3billion, 13F, 416, Teheran-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea (06193)

3billion accepts packages Monday through Friday. If you are shipping from outside South Korea, please send your sample on Monday or Tuesday so that we can store your specimens appropriately over the weekend.
International shipping requires three copies of invoice and a declaration form. Click the underlined words and download the sample commercial invoice and declaration form.

Please contact support@3billion.io to obtain the FedEx account number and send your specimens via FedEx for international shipping.
Additional shipping fee may be charged after the sample arrives at 3billion if the shipping weight was more than 0.5kg.

Kindly note that any tax charges imposed by your country shall be borne by the ordering party.