Shipping Biological Materials

The responsibility to correctly package and ship infectious material is that of the sender, not the recipient or consignee.

Researchers, lab assistants, and other personnel who package, handle, or ship infectious or other hazardous material (Shipper/Sender) are responsible for being aware of current and applicable regulations, requirements, and any updates. Shippers are responsible for correctly classifying and packaging the material(s) for the purpose of protecting the public, personnel in the transportation industry, emergency responders, as well as other laboratory or healthcare staff from accidental exposure to the contents of the packages.

If you have not completed the Dangerous Goods Shipping training, contact the Office of Safety prior to sending any packages containing biological materials or dry ice.

Biological Materials Shipping Manual

Transporting Biological Materials by Private Vehicle

Material Transfer Agreements (MTA)

There are a few factors to consider when determining whether an MTA is required for a shipment. They are largely relevant to the funding source and type of shipment.

When an MTA is Triggered

An MTA is necessary when exchanging physical, proprietary materials between separate organizations (e.g., university to university, or university to private company). This typically includes:

• Biological specimens: Blood, saliva, tissue samples, and human cells.
• Organisms & models: Mice, specialized animal models, or cell lines.
• Genetic & chemical materials: Plasmids, vectors, antibodies, reagents, and chemical compounds.
• Materials under specific funding: Materials created under specialized grants, like the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM).
• Onward transfers: When you need to send out materials that you originally received from a third party.

When an MTA is NOT Required

Generally an MTA is not needed for routine research operations that do not involve transferring proprietary physical property across institutional lines:

• Commercial purchases: Buying catalog reagents or supplies from standard vendors (e.g., Sigma-Aldrich) under standard purchase terms.
• Internal transfers: Sharing physical materials between different faculty members, labs, or departments within the same university or legal entity.
• Pure data transfers: Sharing electronic datasets, financial records, or patient metrics. This requires a Data Use Agreement (DUA) or Data Sharing Agreement instead.
• Fee-for-service / Core facilities: Contracting a third-party or internal lab to run tests (e.g., sending blood samples just for standard processing) where the service provider retains no rights to the material or results.
• Public domain items: Materials explicitly released under open-source or unrestricted public licenses.

Additional questions regarding MTAs should be directed to the Director of Research & Sponsored Program Development.

Material Transfer Agreement (MTA)

Intent to Ship Biological Materials