Policy on Instrumental Method and Assay Development
The CMSP welcomes inquiries regarding projects that necessitate the development of new instrumental methods and assays. However, please be advised that the CMSP possesses limited capacity for projects requiring substantial investment in development and optimization activities. As an Internal/External Service Organization (ISO/ESO), the CMSP must balance these requests against the need to maintain financial stability and standardized service offerings for the broader research community. Such requests will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis after initial consultation with investigators. CMSP staff will determine feasibility according to the following criteria:
- Technological Alignment: Consistency with existing technological and instrumental capabilities.
- Resource Allocation: Estimated personnel time and effort required, particularly given current staff capacity.
- Funding and Risk: Availability of investigator funds to support pilot studies for feasibility testing and optimization. Investigators agree to pay for these pilot studies, with the understanding that success is not guaranteed and charges are incurred regardless of outcome.
- Community Demand: Alignment of the new method or assay with the service demands of the broader research community and CMSP user base.
- Scalability: Anticipated sample volume for analysis following development; projects with higher potential long-term sample throughput are prioritized.
- Authorship Agreement: Agreement to include appropriate CMSP staff members as co-authors on resulting peer-reviewed publications where staff have offered intellectual and experimental contributions in developing and applying methods used in the work.
Consultation and Training in New Sample Preparation Methods
The CMSP provides select sample preparation services utilizing standardized protocols at established rates. For projects requiring methods not routinely performed, facility staff may provide consultation and guidance to investigator laboratory personnel who wish to develop these methods in-house. This collaborative model includes:
- Protocol Guidance: CMSP staff will consult on experimental design and provide guidance on specialized extraction, labeling or other processing techniques. Investigators are responsible for all costs of consumables and supplies needed for the protocol development and testing.
- Evaluation of Effectiveness: CMSP will work with lab personnel to evaluate the quality of prepared samples via instrumental analysis. Investigator labs are responsible for funding CMSP instrumentation time using established rates for evaluation and optimization studies.
- Long-term Responsibility: Once a method is optimized and validated, investigator lab personnel are responsible for preparing all subsequent samples prior to submission for analysis in the CMSP. This model ensures high-quality data generation while allowing investigators to manage specialized project requirements efficiently.