Frequently asked questions

We provide a comprehensive range of blood products for research applications, including whole blood, leukopaks, PBMCs, red blood cells, plasma, serum, and buffy coats. Most products are available in both fresh and frozen formats — for more details, visit our product pages or browse our resources. If you require a specific biospecimen, please get in touch with our team.

Yes. We offer a variety of anticoagulants, including CPD, sodium heparin, lithium heparin, K2EDTA, K3EDTA, sodium citrate, Streck-CFD, and acid citrate dextrose A. Additional customisation options are available, including donor selection and sample collection and processing. For further details, visit our resources.

We can collect up to 490 ml per donor, with volumes fully customisable to meet your research needs. Browse our product pages for available options — if you don’t see what you need, contact us.

Yes, we accommodate specified donor requirements wherever possible. You can request criteria such as HLA type, smoking status, age, BMI, ethnicity, sex, and blood group, among others. If you have additional requirements, get in touch to discuss inclusion and exclusion criteria.

Our donor network exceeds 5,000 individuals and continues to grow. We maintain a diverse pool covering a wide range of ages, sexes, ethnicities, BMI ranges, and other relevant factors.

We strive to recall specific donors wherever possible. To request a particular donor, please provide the RDN number found on your order documentation. If you have any questions, contact us.

Yes. We can provide a blank donor consent form upon request. Please contact us and we will assist you.

Yes, we can collect saliva, urine, and faecal samples. For other biological sample types, please get in touch to discuss your research needs.

Yes, pooled specimens are available on request. We offer pooled samples by gender and maintain a diverse donor pool to support your research needs. Contact us for more details.

We offer two ways to purchase

Browse our inventory: explore our online stock of frozen samples, register an account, add products to your basket, and submit your request to reserve samples. Your local distributor will contact you to confirm availability, shipping, and payment.

Request a biospecimen collection: configure your sample specifications for fresh or frozen samples to be collected from our donor pool, add your selections to a quote request, and submit your details. Your local distributor will follow up to finalise pricing, delivery, and payment.

If you have any questions, please get in touch

There are two ways to see what is available. Navigate to the ‘Request a biospecimen collection’ section on the individual product pages to see biospecimens available to order, or browse our inventory to see frozen samples available to purchase.

If a required product is not available in our inventory, you can order a customised collection by clicking ‘Request a biospecimen’ on the relevant product page. If our standard collections don’t meet your needs, contact our team — we are happy to collaborate on a tailored solution.

Our delivery options include next-day delivery across Europe, same-day delivery for select UK locations, and pre-9 AM, pre-10:30 AM, and pre-12 PM next-day deliveries across the UK. Guaranteed time-of-delivery for European shipments is available by prior arrangement. A premium delivery service is also available for express needs — contact us for a quote.

Delivery timelines depend on order placement time, product type, and donor availability. If your order is delayed, we will replace it free of charge.

We ship at ambient, chilled, and frozen temperatures. Stock products are always shipped frozen. Frozen samples are shipped on dry ice; ambient shipments are maintained at 15–25°C; chilled shipments are maintained at 2–10°C using blue ice packs. Temperature loggers are available on request. Our packaging uses sustainable sheep’s wool insulation.

How long after collection will my samples be frozen?

PBMCs and isolated cells are frozen within 5 hours of collection. Plasma and serum are frozen within 8 hours. Bespoke processing timelines can be accommodated — contact us to discuss your requirements.

We operate Monday to Friday. First donation: 7 AM. Last donation: approximately 2 PM. Overnight collections via UPS: cut-off 4 PM.

Yes. Each donor provides specific consent at every donation, including consent for the provision of samples for commercial research and DNA extraction.

Yes. All samples are ethically approved under the Health Research Authority (HRA) and registered as a Research Tissue Bank (RTB). Generic ethical approval is obtained for all samples intended for biomedical research.

Yes. We can provide a blank donor consent form on request. Please contact us and we will assist you.

Yes. All samples are collected from donors with full genetic and commercial research consent.

Yes. All intellectual property arising from research conducted using our biospecimens belongs to you and your institution. Donors provide consent that waives any claim to discoveries arising from the use of their samples, so your research findings and IP remain fully yours.

We have a dedicated collection lab in the UK, integrated with our blood donation facility. Testing occurs immediately after the sample is donated, and results are included with every order before dispatch.

All whole blood, PBMC, buffy coat, plasma, serum, and red blood cell samples are tested negative before processing. Serology testing covers: HIV I & II, hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and syphilis.

Apheresis samples receive extended testing. PCR testing covers HIV I & II, HBV, and HCV. Serology testing covers HTLV I & II, HIV I & II & P24 antigen, HBV, HCV, and syphilis. Additional serology testing can be facilitated to meet your requirements — contact our team.

Each shipment includes a full product information sheet containing donor information, pre-screening details, virology status, and collection date and time.

Each sample is labelled with the donor’s RDN number for recall purposes. The following donor details are also included: age, sex, and ethnicity; height, weight, and BMI; blood group and HLA status; full blood count indices and virology testing results.

To view our inventory, you first need to register your account. Register your account at https://products.researchdonors.co.uk/register to get started.

To check or change the details on your account, please log in and view your profile.