Central Biorepository Pricelist

The Central Biorepository (CBR) offers a variety of services to U-M investigators for the safe, monitored management of biospecimens, including temperature-controlled storage, preparation of derivatives, aliquoting, distribution, and production of specimen collection kits.  Central Biorepository services are limited to human biospecimens only.  

The rates below are effective as of June 1, 2025, and are valid only for U-M investigators, billable by short code. For external rates, please contact the CBR ([email protected]) 

Storage is provided for established biorepository studies. Storage rates are based on the size of the storage container.  

• 1-2 mL tube | $0.03/sample/month
• 5 mL tube | $0.04/sample/month
• 6-10 mL tube | $0.06/sample/month
• 50 mL tube | $0.34/sample/month
• Cassette-sized frozen storage | $0.04/sample/month
• FFPE block storage (RT) | $0.02/sample/month
• Glass slide storage (RT) | $0.02/sample/month
• N2 Cabinet Slide Storage (RT) | $0.02/sample/month
• Monthly ABR Storage 2x5x5 (by Freezer Box) | $1.08/sample/month
• Monthly ABR Storage 3x5x5 (by Freezer Box) | $2.14/sample/month
   

The CBR builds custom biospecimen collection kits. The cost of kit components and labor for production and quality control is tallied and rounded to the nearest kit type.  

Molecular services are available to all U-M investigators. Automated services are performed on robotic systems. Manual services are performed by CBR staff. 

Standard Automated Aliquoting | $216.60/96-well plate 
DNA or RNA is aliquoted into 96-well plates with dilution to normalize the concentration to a specified value.  

Standard Automated Aliquoting | $231.60/96-cryovial batch 
DNA or RNA is aliquoted into 2.0 ml cryovials with dilution to normalize the concentration to a specified value.  

Manual Viscous Biosample Aliquoting to 96-well Plates | $2.30/aliquot 
Serum, plasma, stool, and other viscous biospecimens are aliquoted into 96-well plates.  

Manual Viscous Biosample Aliquoting to Cryovials | $2.20/aliquot 
Serum, plasma, stool, and other viscous biospecimens are aliquoted into 0.5 ml or 2 ml cryovials.  

Automated Aliquoting No Dilution | $2.40/aliquot 
A specified volume or mass of DNA or RNA samples is aliquoted into 96-well plates or 2.0 ml cryovials without dilution.  

Automated DNA Extraction from Whole Blood or Buffy Coat (QiaSymphony) | $32.80/sample
Genomic DNA is extracted from whole blood or buffy coat samples, 0.5-1.2 ml (1.2 ml recommended) in volume. DNA concentration is quantified by a PicoGreen assay.  

Automated DNA Extraction from Whole Blood (Perkin Elmer) | $32.90/sample 
Genomic DNA is extracted from whole blood, residual blood, or buffy coat samples, 2-4 ml in volume. DNA concentration is quantified by a PicoGreen assay.  

Automated DNA Extraction from Oragene saliva kit (QiaSymphony) | $30.90/sample
Genomic DNA is extracted from DNA Genotek saliva collection tubes. DNA concentration is quantified by a PicoGreen assay.  

Manual DNA Extraction from WB | $201.50/1 to 10-sample batch
Genomic DNA is extracted from whole blood, residual blood, or buffy coat samples up to 200 ul in volume. DNA concentration is quantified by a PicoGreen assay.  

Manual Nucleic Acid Extraction from FFPE | $155.70/1 to 6-sample batch 
DNA and RNA are extracted from FFPE slides. DNA concentration is quantified by A260/A280 analysis. Price covers labor only. Kit must be provided. 

Manual Circulating Cell Free DNA Isolation from Biofluids | $48.10/sample 
Circulating cell-free DNA is extracted from 1 ml of biofluid. Price covers labor only. Kit must be provided. 

Automated RNA Extraction from PaxGene RNA Whole Blood (QiaSymphony) | $48.20/sample
Total RNA is extracted from PAXgene Blood RNA tubes. RNA integrity and concentration are evaluated on an Agilent TapeStation.  

Plasma or Serum Prep from Whole Blood | $22.50/1 to 3-aliquot batch 
Whole blood collected in appropriate vacutainers is fractionated, and plasma or serum is transferred to 2.0 ml cryovials.  

Ethanol Precipitation and Resuspension of DNA | $44.30/1 to 12-sample batch 
On a case-by-case basis, small numbers of DNA samples can be precipitated and resuspended. DNA concentration is quantified by a PicoGreen assay.  

PicoGreen Quantification | $5.90/sample 
DNA concentration is quantified by the PicoGreen fluorometric assay. This is an automated process that requires 50 μL of DNA but consumes only 10 μL. The remaining DNA is returned to the investigator. 

PBMC Isolation  
PBMCs are isolated via three different protocols from whole blood vacutainers:  

• CPT vacutainers 

• ACD vacutainers with SepMate separation tubes  

• EDTA vacutainers with Leucosep separation tubes  

Isolations are performed manually by a CBR technician in batches of 1 to 6 whole blood vacutainers. The rate listed is based on the number of vacutainer tubes submitted as a batch.  

Other services are provided or used as needed. 

Distribution | $42.70 per hour 
CBR staff assist in planning a biospecimen distribution from the CBR. 

Specimen or Plate Retrieval from Storage | $1.00/sample or plate 
CBR staff locate and safely remove biospecimens from long-term storage to prepare them for processing, distribution, or disposal. 

Accessioning Samples not Tracked in LabVantage | $2.40/sample 
Samples not already tracked in LabVantage must be accessioned by CBR staff. CBR staff track the chain of custody of biospecimens throughout processing, storage, and distribution from the CBR.  

Relabeling Samples | $2.60/sample 
CBR staff label or replace labels to ensure all biospecimens have a unique identifier and barcode, ensuring legibility and chain of custody. 

Custodial Domain Transfer (CDT) Resolution | $6.90/occurrence 
CBR staff ensure the safe transit of biospecimens between storage locations by investigating any incomplete CDT transactions.