What quality controls were done before you shipped the clones? All iPSC Biobank lines are registered at hPSCreg where a summary of quality controls performed can be found.
What coating and media is to be used? Please refer to the iPSC Biobank Handbook under ‘Information’ for detailed information regarding cell culture maintenance.
Order
How long does it take to approve my account? It takes around 1-2 working days.
How is the procedure for the respective Agreement? We require you to have read and accept IMBA’s General Terms and Conditions for the Provision of iPS CELL Clones. Further, you are required to provide a study protocol by filling out sections regarding title, study team and affiliation, correspondence and experimental plan online, which will automatically be inserted into the MTA. Please make sure that the MTA is fully signed, i.e., by a legal representative of your institute, and you or your supervisor as the recipient scientist. Once you have entered all required sections and signatures on the MTA, please upload a pdf copy in your order overview:
Login with your username / password.
Click on the arrow next to your name on the top right and select My Account.
Select My Orders in the menu to the left and you will get a list of your orders.
Click on the 'View Order' button to display an order.
Scroll down to the MTA section
Click on Choose files, select the PDF file on your local machine and then click Upload.
I have created an account a while ago. My account is still not active. If your account is not active after 3 working days, please send an email to ipscellbiobank@imba.oeaw.ac.at.
I have placed an order some time ago. Can I check the status of my order? Yes, if you log in into your account, go to My Account and click on My Orders to see your order history.
I have not received any notification about my order. Is there any problem? As long as you received an order confirmation and sent all required documentation, your order is still in progress. Due to our preparation schedule, it can take up to 6 weeks for finalization and shipping of your order. You can check the status of your order under My Orders.
Is there a way to save the content of the shopping cart and order at a later timepoint? Yes, as long as you don't change your browser or clear your browser data the content of the shopping cart will be kept. You can also add products to your wishlist if you want to be able to see them from any PC or browser when you log in to your profile.
Can I come and pick up the cells directly at the facility? Yes. After placing your order, please send us an e-mail and notify us. As soon as your order is finalized, we will contact you to make an appointment for picking up the cell lines.
Payment
Can I get a discount price if I ordered more than one service item? No. Please see our payment information.
My credit card is valid but was rejected during the payment process. Why? We have no possibilities to get detailed information about user transactions from financial institutes due to security reasons. Therefore, we recommend you trying again later and if it doesn’t work to check with your bank.
During the payment with my credit card the system asks for a password. What password? Your credit card is activated with the "Verified by Visa" or "MasterCard SecureCode" service which improves the security of online payment transactions. Therefore, you need a password to verify your credit card transactions. Please contact your bank.
I do not have a credit card. Can I pay in some other way? While we prefer payment by credit card, we are aware that in some institutions invoices can only be processed after the delivery of goods. If this is the case, you can also use the PO payment method as indicated.
What is a VAT Number in the registration form? The Value Added Tax, or VAT, in the European Union is a general, broadly based consumption tax assessed on the value added to goods and services. Every European Institution needs a VAT number for tax purposes.
I do not have the invoice/credit note for one of my orders anymore. Can you resend it? For your convenience, you can download the invoice/credit note in your account. Please follow these steps:
Login with your username / password.
Click on the arrow next to your name on the top right and select My Account.
Select My Orders in the menu to the left and you will get a list of your orders.
Click on the 'View Order' button to display an order.
Select the Invoices tab and then click on Print Invoice to download the invoice.
Shipment
How long does it take for my order to be finalized? It usually takes us 4-6 weeks to expand the clones and do the quality controls. You will get an e-mail notification when your clones are ready for shipment. Once the MTA and clones are ready (expanded and passed QC) we will get in touch with you to organize the shipment. Cells get shipped on Mondays, regardless of the destination. After we shipped the cells, we will send you the tracking number by e-mail. In Europe the package is delivered within 2 working days. Shipments outside of Europe usually take a few days longer e.g. Japan 2-3 days, USA/Australia up to one week.
I would like to order iPSC Biobank cell lines. What are the shipping costs by express courier? We use a transport box which accommodates a plastic bag with clones and fill it up with 5-6 kg of dry ice, i.e. we use the same pack and dry ice amount for any cell line shipment regardless of the cell line quantity. The estimated FedEx shipment fees to the USA would be around € 270, and around € 150 for destinations in Europe. Please contact your local delivery service for detailed information about shipping costs
Do I need an import permit to get the iPSC Biobank cells? Please inquire with your local authorities and make sure that we have all required documents in place for successfully shipping the cells to your country. This may also require special courier services as e.g. FedEx may not ship a dry ice parcel to any country (i.e. China). Should your country require special permissions to import human iPSC lines (or any cell line for that matter), please make sure that you have all required documents in place. The same holds true for shipping labels, should they be required. iPSC Biobank will not replace cell lines, which have been refused at the customs because of missing or expired importing documents and will likewise not cover any costs associated with such a delay in delivery.
Can the shipping address be different from the address on the import permit labels? It is not recommended that you borrow and provide us with the shipping information from a colleague, because this might cause confusion at the customs (or import regulation agency) and result in a delivery delay. In this case, ISCCF will not replace any cell lines which did not survive the shipment.
Why do you use only DHL/FedEx and not postal service? We have a long and good experience with these courier services and also most researchers have their own accounts set up with them.
