appendix b information on possible
packaging for shipping ffpe specimens

Shipment of FFPE blocks requires that the blocks be protected from excessive heat. High outdoor temperatures are only one hazard: placement of an unprotected paraffin block on a warm surface can result in significant damage that could require reembedding. Blocks should be individually wrapped or placed in small, jewelry-size, labeled plastic zip-top bags (not 2-10 blocks in a single sandwich bag). Blocks should then be placed in a Styrofoam shipping container, without dry ice or cold packs. Additional space should be filled with packing peanuts and other filler. Use of sealed bags with a desiccant can be used, if deemed necessary, to help control humidity. Slides should be placed in appropriate slide carriers after the Permount has dried. At a minimum, the slide container should be wrapped in bubble wrap or placed in a padded envelope. If alternative tissue block punchers are sent to a site for FFPE tissue collection, they should be shipped packed into a sleeve and in secured Styrofoam.
appendix b information on possible
packaging for shipping frozen specimens

Multi-level, watertight packaging with the appropriate biohazard and dry ice labels should be used to ship frozen solid tissue and aliquoted serum or plasma. These specimens should be contained in non-breakable - i.e., non-glass - cryovials or tube containers.  
For example:
Cryovial is placed into bubble-wrap, then into a plastic zip-top bag containing a sheet of absorbent material, for biohazard protection, then the bag and documentation into a watertight Styrofoam container packed with dry ice, the content list placed on top of Styrofoam container, then the Styrofoam container into a cardboard box with a biohazard label and a dry ice label.
Absorbent material, such as cotton balls, paper towels, or bubble wrap, should be used for additional cushioning as needed. Fragile containers should be wrapped with cushioning material. Again, though, plastic (not glass) vials should be used.  
Shipping containers should not be sealed airtight so that CO2 gas created from the evaporation of dry ice can escape the container. Pack dry ice and samples with paper, cardboard, or Styrofoam so that as the dry ice sublimates the samples will not move freely inside of the insulated box. The volume of air to which the dry ice is exposed should be minimized in order to slow the rate of sublimation. If there is any air space after filling the package with dry ice, it should be filled with packing peanuts or other material to reduce the volume of air space. Temperature control for blood and fresh/frozen samples Samples should be shipped overnight, and shipped only Monday through Thursday to ensure delivery on a workday. If shipment cannot be made immediately, the samples can be stored at the appropriate temperature (e.g., - 80°C for frozen tissue) until shipment can be made.  
Notification of shipment to the central repository is encouraged to ensure that specimens are properly received and processed. Communication can avoid mishaps due to absence or closure of the repository or variations from region to region. Tracking numbers and carrier information should be included in the communications.  
Dry ice should be used for shipping fresh/frozen tissue and aliquoted serum or plasma. The amount of dry ice needed will depend on the length of the trip and surrounding outside temperature, and should allow for a 24-hour delay in delivery. Discuss the amount required with the shipper in order to ensure that enough dry ice is added in order to maintain frozen specimens sufficiently to the destination.  
EDTA tubes containing blood for germline DNA extraction should be shipped on the same day as the blood draw (if possible), unfrozen, on a cold pack conditioned to maintain refrigerated temperatures during shipment. Blood should NOT be transported frozen, and particularly not at -20ºC.  
The amount of refrigerant or dry ice (depending on which type of specimen is being shipped) should allow for a 24-hour delay in transport.  
A consideration for larger sites is the inclusion of temperature monitors within the shipping containers of frozen specimens to validate that temperature has been maintained and indicate if significant warming has taken place.  
The "NCI Best Practices for Biospecimens Resources" (June 2007) provides further information on specimen storage, under Section B.1.4, "Biospecimen Storage", pages 4-5 of that document (Research, 2007).