Biospecimen Processing Lab

Mt. Zion Lab and Freezer Farm

Lab Location: 
2340 Sutter St. Room S241 
San Francisco, CA 94115  

Lab Phone:  
(415) 514-6945

Blood and Biopsy Pager:  
(415) 443-0495 

Surgical Tissue Collection Pagers:  

  • Kevin King, PA (ASCP)CM (415) 443-0479

Scheduling: 
[email protected]

BSPL Guidelines for Liquid Sample Processing:

Hours of operation (all campuses):

  • Monday through Friday, 8am – 4:30pm (excluding UCSF campus holidays). Last samples must be received by 4:00pm. 
  • Samples with same-day shipments must be received by 1:30pm to meet outbound shipping cutoffs. 
  • Samples with complex processing, such as PBMCs, whole blood stimulations, must be received by 2:30pm. 

If same-day shipment samples are received past the cut-off time, samples will be shipped the next business day. Ambient samples are generally more time sensitive and require same-day shipment. 

If your protocol has samples that will be collected past the same-day processing cut off time, please consult with your PI and/or sponsor for next steps. We can store samples overnight at ambient and refrigerated (4C) temperatures for processing the next day, but only with PI and/or sponsor approval.

Scheduling sample drop-offs: 

  • Schedule an appointment on our Outlook calendar by sending a calendar invite to [email protected] at least 24-hours in advance (last minute collections are subject to approval by on-site staff and are dependent on scheduled case volumes). Please include CC or study number, timepoint, and subject ID (SID) in the calendar invite title. Please attach the protocol/lab manual to the calendar invite. The duration of the calendar invite should be the expected times that the lab will receive samples. 
  • Please notify us of sample delays or any changes to the calendar invite promptly via email/slack. Note: Samples should be dropped off promptly to the BSPL following collection from the patient to ensure compliance with protocol requirements and to safeguard sample viability. Please do not drop off sample collections in batch if there are large delays between collections. Samples will no longer be picked up from clinical floors by the BSPL team. 
  • Label all blood tube samples and cryovials with SIDs prior to drop off. 
    1. You are welcome to bring all shipping supplies and kits to the lab in advance. Please label all kits, shippers, and airway bills (AWBs) with the study or protocol number, SID, visit, and collection date. 
  • Provide sponsor requisitions (if applicable) and complete all required fields prior to drop off: e.g. DOB, Patient ID, Site #, Visit date.