Recipient FAQ

Q: I am not at a CTSA institution. Can I still screen Repository compounds?

A: Yes! We welcome Recipient screeners from all institutions regardless of CTSA funding/affiliation. In the case of limited resources or bandwidth, CTSA-affiliated Recipients will receive prioritization.

Q: How much does it cost to receive the screening compounds?

A: Thanks to funding from the NCATS CCIA program, CTSA-affiliated screeners can receive our Repository collection free-of-charge. Non-CTSA-affiliated Recipients may also be eligible for a free plating of the collection; please enquire for more information.

Q: What is the process for receiving compounds to the repository?

A: Recipients must sign two components of our non-negotiable 3-way MTA: a BU-Recipient Transfer Agreement (BURTA) to enable transfer of compounds from BU to your laboratory, and a package of (SPMTAs), one for each Provider whose compounds you will be receiving. When these documents are signed, we will request your plating/formatting specifications, and send you the collection as soon as we can.

Q: How long does it take to receive compounds?

A: The full plating of our collection from storage vials is a time-consuming endeavor that can take several weeks to complete. For this reason, we regularly prepare mother plates for aliquotting into daughter plates for our Recipients. The time-to-receive samples generally hinges on the availability of mother plate stock for plating. It takes an estimated 1 to 2 weeks to prepare your plates when there are mother plates prepared, and may take in excess of 1 month if mother plates require replenishment.

Q: How will the compounds be formatted?

A: We provide compounds as dried film in 0.2 micromole quantity, which can be reconstituted to 10 mM working stock with the addition of 20 uL of DMSO. Compounds can be plated in 96- or 384-well format, with rows/columns left blank for controls according to your specifications. We keep a limited number of microtiter plate styles on hand, and request that you provide us with blank plates if our plates are not suitable for your application.

Q: How many compounds are in the collection?

A: While this number is a moving target due to stock attrition and continual new additions, we can generally provide between 3,000-5,000 compounds for screening.