Help:Requesting Parts
You've found an interesting part, but you've found that a sample is not available in your distribution kit. You can find out if there is a sample available elsewhere in the Repository, and request it by contacting iGEM HQ. Here's how!
- Table of Contents:
- Part Status Box
- Get This Part Page
- Make a Request
- Keep in Mind
- Shipping
Part Status Box
The Part Status Box appears in the top right of a part's page. It includes:
- the status of a part's sample(s): Sample In Stock / Sample It's Complicated / Sample Not In Stock
- a link to the part's Get This Part page: where you can find the location of a sample in the current distribution, or in the Repository
Sample In Stock
- There is a sequence confirmed or long part sample in stock in the Repository
- It does not guarantee that the sample is available in the current distribution
- You can request a sample
Sample It's Complicated
- There is a sample in stock in the Repository, but it is not sequence confirmed
- The sample may have poor quality control results (Partially Confirmed, Single Error, Inconsistent, Bad Sequencing) or no quality control information
- You can request a sample
Sample Not In Stock
- The Registry does not have a sample in stock
- This part cannot be requested from the Registry
Get This Part Page
The Get This Part page is extremely useful when requesting a part sample. It will tell you:
- if your part sample is included in a current Distribution Kit (and its location, plasmid backbone, and sequence result)
- if there are other samples for the part in the Repository and their location
Sample Available in Distribution
- There is a sample in stock in the current distribution
- You can see its location, plasmid backbone, and the sequence result
- You can transform this part directly from your distribution kit. You don't have to request it!
No Sample Available in Distribution
- There is no sample available in the current distribution
- However, you can "Show details for other locations"
- There may be several different samples for the part
Show details for other locations
- Many samples may not have quality control information
- However, be sure to look for samples that are sequence confirmed
- If there is no confirmed sample, you can still request samples that have no quality control information
- Use this sample information to request your part
Make a Request
Use the sample information from the Get This Part page to request your part. Requests are currently made through email: hq (at) igem (dot) org
- Your request must follow this format:
- Subject: "Part Request: [Your Team/Lab's Name]."
- Part Name (BBa...)
- Plasmid Backbone (as documented on the Get This Part page)
- Sample Location: source plate and well
- Quality Control Results: sequence and gel results (if available)
Once a request is made you should be contacted by iGEM HQ within two business days.
Keep in Mind!
- Quality Control: Many of the part samples available through the Registry have undergone quality control testing. Prior to requesting a part sample, take a look at this information, as it should affect your decision on using it. See the quality control help page if you need help interpreting QC results on the "Get This Part" page.
- Bundle Requests Prior to making a request it is helpful to consider all of the parts that the team needs for your project. We prefer bundling part requests together rather than receiving several small requests, as this cuts down shipping costs and improves efficiency.
- Response Time: Once a request is made you should be contacted by iGEM HQ within two business days.
Shipping Times
For shipments within the United States shipping times are generally no more than two days through UPS. For international shipments, shipping times through UPS can differ by a number of days depending on the receiver's address.
A confirmation email with a tracking number for your shipment will be sent to you when your part request is ready to be shipped. You can then track the location of your shipment.
Agar Stabs
- We send out part requests as agar stabs (LB agar). The shelf life of these are short, so it is best to plate from the stab as soon as possible
- The agar will have a hole from when it was stabbed. Dip an inoculating loop into the stab, and plate onto a petri dish of LB agar with the appropriate antibiotic.
- Incubate the dish overnight at 37C (14-16hr)
- Pick a single colony to start up a culture
- Miniprep to extract plasmid DNA
- Use the part!