In line with a sustainable future for brain banking, the UK Brain Bank Network and associated charities use a cost recovery scheme for the provision of tissue. The tariff is standardised and charges for commercial users will cover approximately three-quarters of the costs of retrieval, assessment and archiving of the brain tissue whereas, the charges for academic institutions cover approximately half of these costs.
The tariffs are as follows (2023):
| Type of sample - 2023 | Academic institutions | Commercial users* |
|---|---|---|
| cDNA | £55.00 | £110.00 |
| Cerebrospinal fluid | £27.50 | £55.00 |
| CSF 1ml | £27.50 | £55.00 |
| CSF pellet | £27.50 | £55.00 |
| DNA | £55.00 | £110.00 |
| Fibroblast DNA | £825.00 | £1650.00 |
| Fibroblast RNA | £825.00 | £1650.00 |
| Fibroblasts from primary isolation | £825.00 | £1650.00 |
| Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded block | £55.00 | £110.00 |
| Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded block, Large | £220.00 | £440.00 |
| Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded block, Small | £110.00 | £220.00 |
| Formalin-fixed ‘wet’ tissue | £27.50 | £55.00 |
| Formalin-fixed ‘wet’ tissue, 1-2 regions | £27.50 | £55.00 |
| Formalin-fixed ‘wet’ tissue, 3-4 regions | £38.50 | £77.00 |
| Formalin-fixed ‘wet’ tissue, more than 4 regions | £49.50 | £99.00 |
| Fresh Tissue (per 0.5g) | £27.50 | £55.00 |
| Frozen section | £16.50 | £33.00 |
| H&E stained slide | £8.80 | £17.60 |
| Immunostained slide | £11.00 | £22.00 |
| iPSC | £1650.00 | £3300.00 |
| Muscle tissue frozen | £27.50 | £55.00 |
| Muscle tissue paraffin-embedded | £55.00 | £110.00 |
| Other tissue frozen (non-CNS) | £27.50 | £55.00 |
| Other tissue paraffin-embedded (non-CNS) | £55.00 | £110.00 |
| RNA | £55.00 | £110.00 |
| Slow frozen tissue (per 0.5g) | £27.50 | £55.00 |
| Snap frozen/rapidly frozen tissue (per 0.5g) | £27.50 | £55.00 |
| Tissue homogenate | £55.00 | £110.00 |
| Unstained frozen section/slide, large | £22.00 | £44.00 |
| Unstained frozen section/slide, small | £16.50 | £33.00 |
| Unstained paraffin section/slide, large | £7.70 | £15.40 |
| Unstained paraffin section/slide, small | £5.50 | £11.00 |
| Admin costs - simple | £100 | £200 |
| Admin costs - complex | £150 | £300 |
| Retrieval of data from clinical notes | POA | POA |
All prices in the table exclude VAT.
These tariffs are due to increase in 2024 to the following:
| Type of sample - 2024 | Academic institutions | Commercial users* |
|---|---|---|
| cDNA | £75.00 | £150.00 |
| Cerebrospinal fluid | £37.50 | £75.00 |
| CSF 1ml | £37.50 | £75.00 |
| CSF pellet | £37.50 | £75.00 |
| DNA | £75.00 | £150.00 |
| Fibroblast DNA | £1125.00 | £2250.00 |
| Fibroblast RNA | £1125.00 | £2250.00 |
| Fibroblasts from primary isolation | £1125.00 | £2250.00 |
| Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded block | £75.00 | £150.00 |
| Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded block, Large | £300.00 | £600.00 |
| Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded block, Small | £150.00 | £300.00 |
| Formalin-fixed ‘wet’ tissue | £37.50 | £75.00 |
| Formalin-fixed ‘wet’ tissue, 1-2 regions | £37.50 | £75.00 |
| Formalin-fixed ‘wet’ tissue, 3-4 regions | £52.50 | £105.00 |
| Formalin-fixed ‘wet’ tissue, more than 4 regions | £67.50 | £135.00 |
| Fresh Tissue (per 0.5g) | £37.50 | £75.00 |
| Frozen section | £22.50 | £45.00 |
| H&E stained slide | £12.00 | £24.00 |
| Immunostained slide | £15.00 | £30.00 |
| iPSC | £2250.00 | £4500.00 |
| Muscle tissue frozen | £37.50 | £75.00 |
| Muscle tissue paraffin-embedded | £75.00 | £150.00 |
| Other tissue frozen (non-CNS) | £37.50 | £75.00 |
| Other tissue paraffin-embedded (non-CNS) | £75.00 | £150.00 |
| RNA | £75.00 | £150.00 |
| Slow frozen tissue (per 0.5g) | £37.50 | £75.00 |
| Snap frozen/rapidly frozen tissue (per 0.5g) | £37.50 | £75.00 |
| Tissue homogenate | £75.00 | £150.00 |
| Unstained frozen section/slide, large | £30.00 | £60.00 |
| Unstained frozen section/slide, small | £22.50 | £45.00 |
| Unstained paraffin section/slide, large | £10.50 | £21.00 |
| Unstained paraffin section/slide, small | £7.50 | £15.00 |
| Admin costs - simple | £100 | £200 |
| Admin costs - complex | £150 | £300 |
| Retrieval of data from clinical notes | POA | POA |
*Commercial users may incur additional charges, depending on the details of the request and constraints on the availability of suitable tissue.
Not all sample types listed are available from all banks, individual banks will advise on availability.
If you are intending to use human tissue in future projects please remember to include these costs in any upcoming grant applications.