Lab Fees

The CISAB lab is non-profit. Users are charged for specific supplies and reagents used as part of their research. In addition, there is a 15% lab usage fee that is collected to maintain the lab, providing funds for general-use supplies, equipment breakage and maintenance. Non-CISAB users are charged an additional fee ($10 per hour). Users are billed on a bi-monthly basis, unless prior arrangements are made.

The fees listed below are guidelines for the most commonly used techniques performed in the lab. Please note that these are only estimates, and may increase or decrease according to your specific project and the total number of samples. Also, remember to account for trial runs, validation and optimization as part of your total project cost.

Hormone Extraction:

• Blood or Yolk Steroid: $0.75 per sample
• Tissue Steroid or Protein: $1.25 per sample
• Fecal Steroid Extraction: $1.25 per sample
• Solid Phase Extraction (single column): $3.00 per sample

RIA:

• In-house steroid RIA including chromatography: $4 per sample (note: if multiple steroids are measured in a single sample, the cost is approx. $2 per sample per additional hormone).

• RIA kit: Cost varies according to hormone and kit manufacturer. Generally similar or slightly more expensive than the in-house RIA (assuming the whole kit is used).

EIA:

• The average cost per sample using an EIA kit is $8 per sample. Exact cost is dependent on the kit manufacturer, the hormone and the total number of samples. Most kits accommodate 35-40 samples (run in duplicate).

• There are no in-house EIA’s currently available. Development of in-house EIAs (which would be far more cost-effective in the long run) may be considered if the demand is high enough.

Nucleic Acid Extraction:

• Standard DNA extraction (no kit): $1.50 to $2 per sample
• DNA Extraction (kit): $3 to $3.50 per sample
• RNA Extraction (kit): $5 to $6 per sample
• Nucleic Acid concentration determination: $6 per 96 well plate

PCR:

Standard PCR using Taq Polymerase: $0.50 per reaction

Gel Electrophoresis:

Agarose Gel: $0.50 to 0.75 per sample

Genotyping:

Microsatellite Analysis: approx. $3 per sample

Sequencing:

DNA Sequence Analysis: approx. $4.50 per sample

Primers:

PCR, sequencing and genotyping all require the purchase of primers, which vary in cost according to concentration and basepair length. On average, you should expect to pay $10 to $20 per primer for PCR and sequencing. Reactions generally require 2 primers (forward and reverse); however, multiple primer pairs may need to be purchased and tested during validation and optimization if you are developing a new protocol. Genotyping primers are more expensive because they are fluorescently-labeled, averaging $100 to $160 per pair.

Techniques not Listed:

Please see the lab director for more details. Additional techniques are available in the lab, but cost is largely dependent on the specific protocol.

A complete cost estimate can be provided to users prior to the start of their research.