National Institute on Aging

Aged Rodent Tissue Bank

The National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes
of Health (NIH), has developed under contractual arrangement with
BioReliance a repository of tissue collected from the NIA Aged Rodent
Colonies. The NIA colonies are barrier maintained and Specific Pathogen
Free (SPF). Tissues are fresh frozen and stored at --80^o^.

Tissue from the NIA Aged Rodent Tissue Bank is available to
investigators at academic and non-profit research institutions who are
engaged in funded research on aging. The project name and source of
funding must accompany all orders. It may not be possible to ship tissue
to foreign countries that have restrictions on the import of animal
tissues or products.

The NIA now also offers aged rodent tissue arrays -- information is
available at
<http://www.nia.nih.gov/ResearchInformation/ScientificResources/AgedRodentTissueBankHandbook/TissueArrays/>.

**Contact Information**

Biological Resources Branch (BRB)

National Institute on Aging

7201 Wisconsin Ave. / GW 2C231

Bethesda, MD 20892

Program Assistant in charge of the order desk: Heidi Brogdon

Phone: 301-496-0181

FAX: 301-402-5997 (back-up FAX \# 301-402-0010)

Nancy L. Nadon, Ph.D., Head, Biological Resources Branch

Phone: 301-496-0181

FAX: 301-402-5997

All email correspondence regarding rodent resource orders should be sent
to <rodents@nia.nih.gov>.

BioReliance Corp., 14920 Broschart Road, Rockville, MD 20850-3349

Federal Tax ID \# 522038294

Effective July 1, 2005

**Available Tissue**

Tissue availability at any point in time will be affected by the
collection schedule and prior sales. Please contact the BRB Order Desk
to inquire about tissue availability. Tissue is available from the
following strains and ages:

F344 (Fisher 344) rats 4, 12, 18, 24 and 28 months of age

F344xBN F1 rats 4, 18, 24 and 32 months of age

C57BL/6 mice 4, 12, 18 and 24 months of age

B6D2F1 mice (females only) 4, 12, 18 and 24 months of age

BALB/cBy mice 4, 12, 18 and 24 months of age

CB6F1 (BALB/c x C57BL/6) 4, 18, 24 and 32 months of age

mice (males only)

BALB/c mice, caloric restricted 8, 14, 20 and 24 months of age

and ad lib controls

F344 rats, caloric restricted and 4, 18, 24, and 28 months of age

ad lib controls (males only)

F344BN F1 hybrid rats, caloric 4, 12, 18, 24, 34 months of age

restricted and ad lib controls

(males only)

Animals are euthanized by CO~2~ asphyxiation and fresh, unfixed tissue
and organs are flash frozen in LN~2~ and stored at --80^o^C. Special
arrangements can be made for NIA-funded investigators for fixation of
tissues or collection of additional ages or tissues such as bone. For
information, contact Dr. Nadon.

The following tissues will be collected from each animal:

-   serum, 200 ul aliquots

-   brain, whole or hemisphere

-   cervical spinal cord

-   eyes, pair

-   sciatic nerves, pair

-   heart, whole, rinsed in Phosphate Buffered Saline

-   lungs, whole

-   liver, whole

-   spleen, whole

-   ovary or testes, pair

-   prostate (M), whole

-   muscle -- thigh,

-   skin, shaved, from flank, approximately 1 x 1 cm square,

-   kidneys, pair, whole

-   adrenal gland, pair

-   white adipose tissue, subcutaneous

-   brown adipose tissue

-   thymus, whole

-   any tumors found

-   pancreas

    **Price Schedule**

All tissues are priced at \$5.00 per tissue, regardless of strain or
age. Customers are also responsible for shipping costs of \$75.00 per
box which includes packaging, dry ice and the cost of shipping the
tissue by overnight courier service. Prices are subject to change.

**Information Supplied with Tissue**

A Vital Statistics Information Sheet for each animal will be sent with
each order. It includes an identification number for the animal, the
date of freezing, strain, gender, age, weight, barrier of origin, and
general condition of the animal including visible lesions. Only healthy
animals will be used. However, tumors may exist within organs that are
undetectable at necropsy. No replacements will be provided for organs
containing tumors undetectable at necropsy.

Brain, heart, liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys, adrenal glands and
reproductive organs are frozen within 5 minutes of anoxia, and all other
tissues are frozen within 10 minutes of anoxia. The Vital Statistics
Information Sheet lists the time from anoxia to freezing for major
organs (brain, heart, liver, spleen, kidneys, lungs, and reproductive
organs) and the total time elapsed between anoxia and freezing of the
last tissue specimen from the animal. Wet weight of brain, heart, liver,
spleen, kidneys, lungs, reproductive organs, white and brown adipose
tissue and muscle are recorded on the Vital Statistics Information
Sheet.

The Vital Statistics Information Sheet also indicates if there were any
detectable tumors in that animal and provides a description of the
location and general morphology of the tumors. Tumors will be entered
into the Tissue Bank and the relevant Vital Statistics Information Sheet
sent with any tumors shipped to customers.

**Ordering Instructions**

-   Orders must be placed through the NIA only by FAX or email and must
    be submitted on the NIA Aged Rodent Tissue Bank Order Form. All
    information requested on the order form **[must]{.underline}** be
    provided. Billing will be done by the contractor, BioReliance, and
    remittance is made to the contractor. Make the purchase order (P.O.)
    out to BioReliance. NIA can refuse to take orders from customers
    with outstanding invoices. Payment is in United States Dollars.

-   Complete orders received by NIA no later than **Noon Tuesday ET**
    normally can expect following week delivery, dependent on
    availability. Orders may be submitted for future shipping if the
    desired tissue is already scheduled for collection but has not yet
    been collected, but the order form must be complete, including P.O.
    #.

-   Acknowledgement of receipt of orders will be faxed or emailed to the
    contact person within two business days of receipt of the order.
    Contact our office if an acknowledgement is not received within that
    timeframe. We will phone/email the contact person if there is any
    difficulty filling the order.

-   The NIA Aged Rodent Tissue Bank is available to investigators at
    academic and non-profit research institutions who are engaged in
    research on aging funded from non-commercial sources. Commercial
    entities are not eligible to order from the NIA Aged Rodent Tissue
    Bank.

*NOTICE:* Problems regarding the status of orders upon delivery must be
brought to the attention of the NIA BRB Order Desk within 24 hours of
receipt of the order. Replacements or credits will only be provided for
incorrectly filled orders or orders lost due to shipping problems.

**NIA AGED RODENT TISSUE BANK ORDER FORM**

Order desk: FAX 301-402-5997 Phone 301-496-0181 email:
[rodents@nia.nih.gov](mailto:rodents@nia.nih.gov?subject=NIA Aged Rodent Tissue Bank Order Form)

For billing and invoicing questions, contact Sandy Butt, BioReliance,
301-610-2510

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  BRB Office Use Only     NIA Confirmation Number  

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Provide **[all]{.underline}** information. Orders must be received by
**[noon]{.underline} Tuesday (ET)** for following week delivery.

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  Principal                             
  Investigator's                   
  Name:                            

  Institution:                     

  Shipping                         
  Address:                         

                                   

                                   
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  Billing           
  Address:     

                    

                    
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  Contact                                                                
  Person's                                                               
  Name:                                                                  

  FAX:                            Phone:                        Email:        

  Accounts                                                               
  Payable                                                                
  Contact                                                                
  Person's                                                               
  Name:                                                                  

  FAX:                            Phone:                        Email:        
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  P.O. \# :                                 Delivery        
                                            date:      

  Name of                                              
  project:                                             

  Funding                                              
  agency and                                           
  grant                                                
  number:                                              
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  BRB use:\   Quantity   Strain          Age     Gender   Tissue      Additional
  t=tumor                                (mo.)                        Information
  nt=non                                                              
  tumor                                                               

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  Special Instructions:         if tissue must be from tumor free animals.
  Check here                    

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