Vector Policies

Refund Policy

Failed transformations. Notify the DGRC at dgrc@iu.edu if your transformation has failed - include the results of your test disc. The DGRC will test the clone - if our transformation fails, we will repick the clone from the master plate and reship at no additional cost to you.

Incorrect vectors. If you believe that the vector you received is incorrectly identified notify the DGRC at dgrc@iu.edu and provide sequence information. The DGRC will repick the clone from the master plate and reship it at no cost. If you find that the vector is still incorrect, the DGRC will sequence it. If our results confirm that the vector is incorrect, a refund will be issued and the vector will be removed from circulation.

Customs problems with frozen or live bacterial slants: The recipient is responsible for notifying the DGRC at dgrc@iu.edu at the time an order is placed of any documents that are required for clearing customs. The DGRC is not responsible for vectors held in customs.

Intellectual property issues

For some vectors, you must sign a material transfer agreement (MTA). This agreement will involve you and the donor of the vector; the DGRC and Indiana University are not parties to these agreements. However, we will facilitate the agreement by providing a sample MTA. Links to MTA forms and procedures can be found adjacent to the descriptions of individual vectors. Plasmids requiring an MTA will be shipped once we receive (via fax or mail) a signed copy.

Quality control

When feasible, we will try to check incoming commonly used vectors by restriction analysis prior to distribution. Please notify the DGRC if you experience problems with a particular vector so that we may document it for other users.

We will run quality control tests on random DNA stock cards. However, we do not have the resources to check every card. If DNA cannot be recovered from a FTA disc or if you have received the wrong clone, contact us at dgrc@iu.edu.

Pricing Schedule

DGRC operations are subsidized by the NIH, but a large part of our costs must be met by income from distribution of our resources. The major features of our pricing policy are as follows:

  • Unless otherwise noted, you will be charged a $60.00 handling fee for each vector.
  • You will pay for FedEx delivery, where applicable.

Fees and Shipping

Our fees will be reviewed periodically, and will be revised as necessary to reflect our actual costs. We charge a $60.00 handling fee for each vector, unless otherwise noted. When shipments require dry ice, you will be charged for FedEx delivery charges, or asked to provide a FedEx number.

Unless otherwise noted, DNA is shipped on a 2mm Whatman FTA card disc in microcentrifuge tubes at room temperature by regular mail. A protocol for recovery of the DNA will be provided with each shipment and is available for download. Some clones require unusual E. coli strains. Those clones will be provided as a frozen bacterial stock and shipped on dry ice.

A number of countries do not permit dry ice shipments; in these cases, we will ship the clones as live bacterial cultures. As a courtesy, we will alert you when we think that shipping problems may arise. It is your responsibility to inform us of any unusual shipping requirements.

Some countries require permits to import DNA, yeast or bacteria. It is your responsibility to be aware of the relevant laws and to provide any necessary permits.

Those requesting vectors to be reshipped, please contact us at dgrc@iu.edu and list your lab account name, order number, the clone ID(s) requested for reshipment, and the reason for reshipment. If your transformation failed, we will test the FTA card before reshipping. If we find that a disc from the master card works in our hands, we will assess a reshipping fee (50% of the original vector cost) in order to cover our labor. If the error is found to be on our end, we will reship at no cost.

Payment

We encourage you to pay for all orders from the DGRC by credit card online. We also accept purchase orders.


Citing the DGRC

When publishing experiments using materials obtained from the DGRC please follow the citation guidelines on the material's stock page, including citing the Drosophila Genomics Resource Center, supported by NIH grant 2P40OD010949, in the acknowledgments. Your cooperation helps us when we need to renew our grant as well as the researchers that donate materials to the DGRC.