Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
General Questions
- Who can use BSPL services?
BSPL services are available to all University of California, San Francisco faculty and investigators. External collaborations with outside institutions are only allowed if the institution has a collaborator agreement with a UCSF investigator.
- What happened to BIOS?
The BIOS Program transitioned under the Office of Research in 2022 and merged with the CTSI Sample Processing Lab (SPL) to form the Biospecimen Processing Lab (BSPL).
All biopsy and surgical tissue acquisition services that were previously available through BIOS are still being offered under the newly formed BSPL at the Mission Bay, and Parnassus campuses. We invite you to review the BSPL website, where you can find detailed information about policies, forms for pathologist collaboration, and instructions on how to submit requests for biopsy and surgical collections.
- How do I onboard a new study with BSPL?
Please visit our New Protocol Onboarding page here.
- How do I request processing services?
Please visit the specific Processing Site page for the contact information of the BSPL location for your request.
- How do I obtain samples that are stored in the biobank?
To retrieve samples from the biobank, please submit a Retrieve Samples from the Biobank request through the Biospecimen Processing Lab iLab page and include all relevant documents. A UCSF Biobank Template for sample requests is available while submitting a retrieval request. Please submit a manifest of requested samples using this template.
- How do I query my inventory?
Please visit the specific Processing Site page for the contact information of the BSPL location for your query.
- How can I receive an itemized invoice?
The iLab billing system will send an invoice to the assigned iLab contact at the end of each billing cycle. For additional information please contact [email protected], Recharge Manager. Please contact iLab support to set up contact information ([email protected]).
- How do I renew or update a speedtype in iLab?
If a speedtype expires in iLab, or is not assigned to a user, please contact the iLab support email address ([email protected]).
- Questions about Oyster Point Freezer Farm?
Review the Oyster Point Freezer Farm Frequently Asked Questions.
Acknowledgement
All publications resulting from the utilization of the Biospecimen Processing Lab are required to acknowledge the Clinical Translational Science Institute and our CTSA grant using the following text:
"Research reported in this publication utilized the Biospecimen Processing Lab within CTSI at the University of California, San Francisco, and was supported by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number UL1 TR991872. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH."