Meeting the exact specification needs of your study while also guaranteeing quality and staying on budget is a common research dilemma. This is especially tricky when sourcing collection devices, where customization is often necessary but generally leads to higher costs and more formulation and manufacturing errors. Since any variance in tube formulation can compromise your findings, it’s crucial to find a flexible partner with the chemical expertise to deliver quality collection devices in the quantity you need, within budget.
Chemical Expertise Matters — A Lot
The ability to protect sample integrity is a key factor when choosing a collection device supplier — especially when your preservation compound needs vary from tube to tube. Suppliers must have deep chemistry knowledge and experience to ensure you receive accurate formulations, so you should always inquire about their history to learn both their breadth of experience and their familiarity with industry requirements.
Ideally, your supplier will have a background of specialization in your research area. If you’re collecting blood samples, for example, an organization with an extensive history in coagulation studies would be well-suited to helping you develop custom-formulated collection devices.
When possible, always select a partner who:
1. Understands your research focus
2. Has the skill and insight to help you determine exactly what you need
3. Can help you get it
These should be nonnegotiable in your decision-making process.
No Flexibility = No Deal
If you want customized collection devices, you must find a flexible partner. You’ll never get what you need unless your partner can reconfigure themselves to support your specific requirements. This is as true for the basic issues of size and volume as it is for quantity, a common cause of bloated budgets. Unfortunately, many suppliers require high-volume orders and don’t usually charge more per unit for lower-volume orders. Evaluate your candidates not just on their ability to provide the right collection devices, but also on their ability to adapt to your desired quantity — from small batches to tens of thousands — without penalizing you.
When you’re hunting for the right partner, explore various aspects of their flexibility — beyond the collection devices themselves. Close collaboration and transparent communication across logistics, packaging, global shipping, and all other moving pieces can make or break your experience and your research. Determine their technical capabilities and the levels of customization and quality you can expect upfront.
Potential partners that explain how their processes will support your unique needs, rather than simply touting their abilities, are going to be more invested in your success. The care they devote to ensuring your collection devices arrive on time and in perfect condition demonstrates two things:
1. Their belief in customer service
2. Their belief in your research
You have too much at stake to settle for one or the other.
Making Sure All Your Needs Are Met
The quality and suitability of your custom collection devices are necessities, but not every manufacturer can meet those needs in a way that suits your research requirements — including your budget. Exercise diligence and carefully examine each organization, with special focus on their chemical expertise and flexibility. That investment will pay off because the right partner will provide agile end-to-end support, carefully guiding the creation and delivery of your custom collection devices. You can’t succeed without this.
In the end, choosing the right partner will supply you with the ultimate benefit: greater confidence in your research results. Who doesn’t want that?
Ready to put these tips to use? Get in touch to see how Prolytix customizes collection devices precisely to your needs with decades of experience, an almost unlimited reagent selection, and unrivaled collaboration.