FAQ

About Our Facility

Do I need to Sign-In/Register?

You can begin adding reagents (cDNA clones, proteins, antibodies) into your cart at any time.  Upon checkout, and in order to process your requested order, we do need to ensure that we have relevant details from each customer including name, email, postal address, and billing details.  Registering with MRC PPU Reagents and Services, you will have the opportunity to save this information and thereby ensure that future orders can be processed even more quickly.

How long will my account stay active?

Individual registrations remain active for a period of one year from date of last log-on to our server. After this time they will be deactivated. Hence, if you have not used us for some time and suddenly discover that your log-on no longer appears to work, please contact us to ask for the account to be reactivated.

How is confidentiality maintained?

MRC PPU Reagents and Services is based within the MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit.  Our staff has always been trained to ensure that strict confidentiality is maintained with regard to the nature of each customer’s project or samples. Only facility staff have access to customer details and sample information/results files and this information is never made available to others.  In this manner, you can rest assured that as a customer, your confidentiality is important to us.

How will you use the personal information I provide?

As part of the registration process, we collect some personal information about you and your establishment. This information is only used by us in relation to the work we undertake for you and to keep you informed of important news about The Reagents and Services facility. We will not provide this information to third parties. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy.

How should I acknowledge MRC PPU Reagents and Services?

We are grateful to those customers who are able to acknowledge the work we did when publishing work that utilised our facility. A simple acknowledgement is sufficient and can either be placed in the materials and methods section or at the end of your manuscript depending on journal format. Suggested formats are given below.

Acknowledgement in materials and methods:

The following Reagents and/or Services were obtained through the MRC PPU Reagents and Services facility (MRC PPU, College of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Scotland, mrcppureagents.dundee.ac.uk):

Acknowledgement at end of manuscript:

We thank the MRC PPU Reagents and Services facility (MRC I PPU, College of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Scotland, mrcppureagents.dundee.ac.uk) for the reagents and/or services indicated in this publication.

 

Ordering

How do I place an order with MRC PPU Reagents and Services?

Please select the item(s) you wish to purchase and click 'Add to Cart'. Once you have selected all your items, you can proceed to the checkout at which point you'll need to either log-in or create a new account.

Upon creating an account, our online system will walk you through the payment process.    If you have any questions while you’re submitting your sample, please feel free to contact us [(01382) 01382 38 8053

VAT

Please be aware that the standard rate (currently 20%) applies to all reagents services purchased from MRC PPU Reagents and Services.

I have been given a DU number (DUxxxx) for a reagent. How do I find the reagent I want?

The DU number is a unique identifier for cDNA clones and the products produced from them here at Dundee. To find a reagent by DU number simply enter the number into the search box at the top right of the site and if it is available the reagent will appear in the search results.

Where can I find your bank details for payment?

You can download our banking details here.

Do you have a W-8BEN form?

Yes, it can be downloaded here.

How do I return an item?

If you are not entirely satisfied with your purchase, we're here to help.

Returns
You have 30 calendar days to return an item from the date you received it.
To be eligible for a return, your item must be unused and in the same condition that you received it.
Your item must be in the original packaging.

Refunds
Once we receive your item, we will inspect it and notify you that we have received your returned item. We will immediately notify you on the status of your refund after inspecting the item. If your return is approved, we will initiate a refund to your credit card (or original method of payment). You will receive the credit within a certain amount of days, depending on your card issuer's policies. Shipping
You will be responsible for paying for your own shipping costs for returning your item. Shipping costs are non­refundable. If you receive a refund, the cost of return shipping will be deducted from your refund.

Contact Us
If you have any questions on how to return your item to us, contact us.

What currencies do you accept?

All transactions on the site are carried out in Pounds Sterling (GBP).

What credit/debit cards do you accept?

We use the Worldpay E-commerce payment system and accept the following cards:

cDNA Clones

If requesting DNA cloning as a service, do I need to provide the plasmid?

At MRC PPU Reagents and Services, we can provide a number plasmid backbones depending on the licence, please enquire regarding availability. Any other plasmids need to be provided by the customer for their cloning requirements.

If requesting DNA cloning as a service, do I need to provide insert source material?

Our staff can work with you to source appropriate starting material for your cloning. You may already have cDNA templates that can be used. Alternatively, we have a large collection of human ESTs, RNAs and mouse RNA that may be used to amplify the cDNA of your choice. In some cases, chemical synthesis of certain sequences may be required which we will discuss with you as necessary.

How will my clone be confirmed?

Whether choosing already generated constructs, or those made through our custom services, all clones are checked by digestion and full sequencing of the expressed open reading frame.

Can tags be appended to constructs?

For those constructs in our database, tags (if present are indicated. However, when working with our Custom Services team, we can work with you to create the exact clone that you require with whatever combination and arrangement of tag(s) you need. For example, HA, FLAG, StrepII, BirA, GST, GFP etc.

What plasmids do you have for different expression systems?

For those constructs that have already been generated, which are present in our database, the expression system is generally indicated.

Can you do mutagenesis of existing clones?

For those constructs in our database, tags (if present are indicated. However, when working with our Custom Services team, we can work with you to create the exact clone that you require with whatever combination and arrangement of tag(s) you need. For example, HA, FLAG, StrepII, BirA, GST, GFP etc.

How quickly will I get my clone(s)?

As each will differ, the cDNA Cloning Custom Services team will provide an estimated delivery time for each project based on its individual specifications as defined by the customer.

When working with your cDNA Cloning team, what are the final deliverables?

Upon completion of a Custom Project, our staff will provide each customer with:

  1. Fully-confirmed ready-to-use clone(s)
  2. Full sequence information
  3. Construct maps

Why are some of the cDNA clones missing sequence data?

Our older constructs may not have a complete set of data available. Initially these clones were for use within the unit and sequence data was not necessarily required. Sequencing data for those missing it can be provided on request.

Why do some clones cost £100?

Some of our clones require propagation at lower temperatures and production of larger amounts of DNA for sequence verification due to being low-copy, having a large insert size and/or an unstable nature. In order to cover the costs associated with this, these clones are charged at the higher rate of £100.

Proteins

Ask us something.

Antibodies

I have a sheep number. How do I find the antibody I want?

Enter the sheep number into the search box at the top right of the site. If the antibody is available it will appear in the search results. You can also enter the sheep number into the search box on the the main antibodies page.