The DLC has a wide variety of biological samples available for purchase by qualified individuals or institutions.  Samples such as blood, serum, and urine are banked opportunistically from our living colony during routine physical exams or other veterinary procedures.  Tissues are collected from animals that have died of natural causes, and they are preserved in a variety of ways suitable for RNA, DNA, and histopathological analyses.  Cadavers are kept frozen and are also available for research.  Animal data such as age at sampling, health status, cause of death, pedigree, breeding status, animal housing, etc. are available for most samples.   If you are interested in samples that the DLC does not have banked, requests can be made to schedule sample collection (e.g. odor samples from scent glands), or for them to be collected as they become available (e.g. fresh samples at necropsy).

If you are a qualified researcher interested in obtaining biological samples (private individuals do not qualify):

1. Contact the DLC Research Manager (Dr. Erin Ehmke, erin.ehmke@duke.edu) to discuss sample availability and project goals.
2. You will be sent a list of DLC samples suitable for your project, along with a DLC Biological Sample Request Form and a Biological Sample Transfer Agreement.
3. Once you have identified the samples you would like to purchase, complete the forms and return to the DLC Research Manager
4. Projects requiring rare or large numbers of samples are reviewed by the DLC Research Committee, which meets monthly.
5. Projects requiring small numbers of more widely available material will be filled by the DLC Research Manager directly and can generally be shipped within a week.