Frequently Asked Questions
Accounts Depositing Plasmids Ordering Plasmids Material Transfer Agreements (MTAs) Shipping Payment/Billing Q: What is Addgene's vision? A: Addgene was formed in January 2004 with the mission of creating a public repository that would revolutionize the sharing of information and reagents used in life sciences research. Q: What type of organization is Addgene? A: Addgene is incorporated as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization in the state of Massachusetts. Q: Why does Addgene charge for plasmid orders? A: Addgene operates on a cost-recovery basis. The organization collects fees from individuals who request plasmids in order to defray the costs associated with acquisition and maintenance of the repository. Q: I can't login. What should I do? A: To login, you must enable your browser to accept cookies from www.addgene.org. If you are still having problems, please contact Addgene Support to verify your login information. Q: How do I recover a lost password and/or username? A: If you remember your username, please click here to have your password sent to you by email. If you cannot remember your username, please contact Addgene Support to verify your account and receive your username and password. Q: My lab already has an Addgene account. Do I need to create my own individual account? A: You should create your own account to track plasmids you have submitted to Addgene. You will also use your individual account to track shipments when you order plasmids from Addgene. Addgene discourages the sharing of accounts and passwords to help customers maintain privacy and avoid confusion. Q: I am a principal investigator and someone in my lab already has an Addgene account. Do I need to create my own individual account? A: No. When someone in your lab submits plasmids to Addgene, Addgene will create a PI Account for you and email the account's information to you. You can then use the Addgene website to track each lab member's submissions to Addgene. More importantly, this also allows you to track researchers who have requested and received plasmids created by your laboratory. If you cannot remember your password, please click here to have your password sent to you by email. If you already have an account and would like to make that account the PI account for your lab, please contact us. Q: Is there a cost to depositing plasmids? A: No. Depositing plasmids is free. Q: How does Addgene acquire permission for storage, propagation, and distribution of plasmids? A: Addgene secures permission from donor laboratories and their host institutions' Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs) to receive, store and propagate plasmids. Addgene serves solely as a distributor of plasmids, and is neither the end-user nor proprietor. Individuals obtaining materials through Addgene are presented with Material Transfer Agreements applicable to their institution and the donor institution. These will appear as click-through screens prior to completion of the order on the Addgene website, and are legally binding agreements. After receiving an order, Addgene will contact the TTO of the institution receiving the plasmids and acquire Material Transfer Agreements signed by an authorized official of the institution. Addgene will fulfill plasmid requests once it has received the appropriate consent. Q: If I deposit, how will Addgene transfer my plasmids? A: Addgene will only ship plasmids to academic and non-profit institutions, unless we receive explicit approval from your institution's technology transfer office. Unless otherwise stated, all transfers will be covered under the Uniform Biological Materials Transfer Agreement (UBMTA) (PDF). Under the terms of the UBMTA, recipients of material transfers are only permitted to use materials for non-commercial research purposes. They are also prohibited from sharing materials with third parties, and must acknowledge the providing scientist in publications. All non-profit and research institutions that are signatories of the UBMTA will be able to receive plasmids under this arrangement. Additionally, institutions that are not signatories of the UBMTA, but are willing to accept the UBMTA terms, can also receive plasmids under this arrangement. Addgene has not yet encountered an institution that will not accept the terms of the UBMTA. If a special MTA is associated with your plasmid or with you (as the investigator), please contact us. Addgene will work to set this up. Q: I have submitted information for plasmids that I want to deposit, now what? A: Be sure you have completed the deposit process. After entering the plasmid data, you need to checkout and enter your shipping information. Addgene will send materials to you for shipping your plasmids. We will contact you once we have received your plasmids and they are available online. Before your plasmids will be available for request, Addgene will also contact the technology transfer office at your institution to acquire approval. Please feel free to email us to check on the status of your deposit. Q: Do I submit my plasmids as DNA or within bacteria? A: Plasmids can be submitted in either form. If plasmid information is entered online, Addgene will send you a kit containing pre-printed labels. If plasmid information is entered on our paper forms, you are responsible for clearly labeling the tubes or plates. For DNA, aliquot 15 uL of DNA into a 1.5 mL microfuge tube. For bacteria, streak the glycerol stock onto a plate. In the case of bacteria, you will be responsible for packaging and shipping the sample according to safety guidelines. Q: I have submitted plasmids to Addgene. How do I refer my requests to Addgene? A: Addgene will create a website that lists all of the plasmids from your laboratory that are available for request. The url will be www.addgene.org/PIfirstname_PIlastname . For example, if the Principal Investigator of the lab is named John Smith, the laboratory url will be www.addgene.org/John_Smith . You can either post this url on your laboratory's website or you can visit this website and use the link at the bottom of the page to email the plasmid list to the requesting scientist. (Note: There will be nothing at the url until your laboratory has stored plasmids at Addgene.) Alternatively, if you know the specific plasmid that is being requested, you can refer the plasmid to another scientist by clicking on the link at the bottom of that plasmids information page. Q: I have submitted plasmids to Addgene, and I lost the samples stored in my freezer. Can I get my plasmids back from Addgene? A: Yes. If you lost plasmid samples that you have deposited at Addgene, you can recover these plasmids from Addgene. You would be responsible for a charge of $5 per plasmid, plus shipping. Please email Addgene at help@addgene.org to receive the special pricing. Q: I would like to submit plasmids that are not associated with a published article. Will Addgene accept these? A: Yes, Addgene can store and distribute these plasmids. If they were made in conjunction with a published article, but did not appear in the final publication, simply associate those plasmids with the article that they were created for. If they are independent of any article, create a mock article using the link at the bottom of the Add Article page in the Deposit Plasmids menu, and add the plasmids to the mock article. Q: If I have received a plasmid from another lab, and then re-cloned it into a new vector or made mutations in it, can I submit this plasmid to Addgene? A: Yes, if a researcher wanted to request this plasmid, he/she would write to you and not to the lab from which you received the wild-type plasmid. Therefore, your lab should submit this plasmid to the repository. In the appropriate section of the plasmid submission form, please indicate the lab that sent you the original plasmid. Please do not submit plasmids that were constructed by other laboratories and not altered by your laboratory. Q: I cannot find the article that I want to deposit plasmids for. What do I do? A: Addgene uses NCBI's e-utilities tools to search for PubMed articles. Due to load and scheduled maintenance of NCBI servers, these tools are unavailable from time to time. If you cannot find the article that you are looking for, please come back and try again. We apologize for the inconvenience. Q: Under "Gene/insert," do I enter the name of the wild-type version of the gene, or the mutant version? A: Enter the name of the wild-type version, and enter the mutations or deletions in the "Relevant mutations/deletions" box. Q: My gene name contains a Greek symbol. What should I do? A: Type in the alphabetical equivalent or spell out the symbol. For example, PKCa or PKC alpha. Q: I am a principal investigator. How do I keep track of requests for my plasmids? A: You and the member of your laboratory who submitted the plasmid will be able to view a log of requests by logging into your Addgene account. To view requests, go to Home and then click on Deposited Plasmids in the blue box. Follow the link Requests for My Plasmids for a complete summary. Q: I did not construct this plasmid. Someone who has left the lab made it, and I don't know enough information to complete this form. What should I do? A: This is expected for some of the older plasmids. Fill out as much as you can, and for unknown information enter "N/A". Q: What are the limits for what is unsafe to be submitted? A: If the plasmid produces anything known to be hazardous to humans or animals when expressed in bacteria, or if a lab requires a BL3 or BL4 permit to handle this plasmid, Addgene cannot accept it. Q: My plasmid requires special Materials Transfer Agreement (MTA) forms to be transferred to other universities. What should I do? A: Addgene uses the Uniform Biological Materials Transfer Agreement (UBMTA), which is accepted by most universities. If your plasmid requires a special MTA form, please email us the form and we will add it to the terms of what a requester must agree to before obtaining the plasmid. Please do not send plasmids to Addgene that are under patents or licenses that prevent their distribution. Q: How do I delete an article? A: To delete an article, you must first remove all of the plasmids. Go to the Deposit Plasmids, click on My Articles, and click on the yellow Submit Plasmids button. Delete plasmids using the link to the far right of the plasmid name, then scroll to the bottom of the page for the link to delete the article. Q: There is something wrong with the account/paper/plasmid information listed on Addgene's website. Who should I email to get this fixed? A: Please contact Addgene Support. Q: I have more questions. Who should I contact? A: Email your questions to Addgene Support. Our full contact information is here. Q: Does Addgene accept orders by fax, phone or email? A: No. All orders must be placed online at www.addgene.org by the recipient scientist. If you would like to pay via Purchase Order, please have your purchasing department give you a PO number for the order. You will be asked for this number during the Checkout Payment Stage. If you need to place orders via your purchasing department, please place the request on-line yourself and use the "Pay Later" option. You may forward an invoice to your purchasing department after placing the request. Q: I am from a company. Can I request materials from your repository for research use? A: If you are from a commercial entity and are interested in materials from Addgene, please contact us and we can put you in touch with the institutions that deposited those materials. Q: How can I check the status of my orders? A: You can find a list with the current status of all your orders here. You will be required to login before you can view this page. Q: How do I change or modify my order after it has been submitted? A: Please place a new order consisting of ALL the plasmids you want, INCLUDING those from the order you had already placed. Afterward, please contact Addgene Support to cancel the old order. You will not be charged twice. If you just want to remove some plasmids, you do not have to place a new order, but please email Addgene. Q: Can I return the plasmids I ordered? A: If there is an error associated with your order, please contact Addgene in writing within 30 days. Addgene will either: (1) replace wrongfully delivered materials or (2) provide a refund (not including shipping and handling). Please see the Terms of Purchase document provided with your order for more details on warranty and liability information.
Q: What is a Materials Transfer Agreement and why do I need it? A: A Materials Transfer Agreement (MTA) is a contract that governs the transfer of scientific materials. Institutions and laboratories that have deposited materials at Addgene require Addgene to use MTAs for all plasmid transfers. Q: Do I need a MTA for every order? A: Yes. Each MTA covers just the plasmid you are requesting and lists both that plasmid and the name of the institution that deposited the plasmid at Addgene. Institutions that have deposited materials at Addgene require Addgene to obtain an MTA for each request. Addgene has developed an on-line electronic MTA system to streamline the MTA process. Typically, this process takes a few hours to a few days (average is three business days, but requests from some institutions may take longer). Q: What do I need to do about MTAs? A: After submitting your plasmid request, you will receive an email regarding the status of the MTA. In most cases, Addgene will directly contact the Technology Transfer Office (TTO) at your institution and obtain a signed MTA. Addgene will provide you with the contact information for your TTO, and encourages you to contact your TTO to expedite the process and to determine whether any additional forms are necessary. If Addgene has emailed you and presented you with the full MTA, please ask an authorized person at your institution to sign the MTA and fax a signed copy back to Addgene. If you have any suggestions for our MTA process, please contact Addgene Support. Q: What is the "MTA Acknowledgment Form" and why does my Principal Investigator need to sign it? A: Some institutions require the Principal Investigator (PI) to be listed as the Recipient Scientist on MTAs. If your PI did not place the plasmid request, your PI must complete the MTA Acknowledgment Form to acknowledge the MTAs accompanying the plasmid transfer. This allows Addgene to list your PI on the MTA as the Recipient Scientist. Q: Can I fax Addgene a standard UBMTA implementing letter or SLA implementing letter? A: No. Please do not send us the standard UBMTA implementing letter or the SLA implementing letter. Although Addgene facilitates the transfer of materials between academic institutions using the UBMTA, Addgene uses a special implementing letter that includes Addgene as a third-party distributor. Addgene will provide you or your TTO with the appropriate agreements after receiving your order. Q: How long does the MTA process take? A: Addgene tries to obtain a signed MTA from your institution's TTO as soon as possible. Addgene has implemented an electronic MTA system designed to streamline the MTA process. Typically, this process takes a few hours to a few days. To expedite the process, Addgene encourages you to contact your TTO to obtain any additional forms they may require of you, and to let them know if you are in urgent need of your materials. Q: What is the estimated ship date of my order? A: All orders must be transferred under Material Transfer Agreements (see above). Orders are not fulfilled until after the applicable Technology and Licensing Offices approve the transaction. You can typically expect your order to ship within 2 business days after clearing the MTA process. Q: How are my samples shipped? A: For orders within the United States, Addgene ships all samples as bacterial stabs overnight via UPS. Please contact Addgene Support if you have any questions regarding packaging or shipping regulations. Q: Does Addgene ship plasmids internationally? A: Yes, Addgene ships plasmids as bacterial stabs to scientists outside the continental United States. Please contact us if you are concerned about shipping regulations in your country. Q: My order has shipped, how do I track it? A: You will be emailed a Shipping Notice when your order has been shipped from Addgene's facility. The UPS tracking number will be included in this email. Q: How long do the plasmids samples last in ambient temperature? A: After receiving your samples, Addgene recommends that you store the bacterial stabs at 4 degrees Celsius for no longer than 2 weeks. Bacterial colonies should be picked with a sterile swab and grown to produce plasmid DNA or bacterial glycerol stocks for long term storage. Q: Does Addgene accept credit cards? A: Yes. Addgene accepts American Express, MasterCard and Visa. Q: What is a credit card's Security Code? A: As an added security measure, we ask that you enter your Card Security Code number when making purchases from Addgene. The Card Security Code is NOT your PIN. For Visa and MasterCard credit cards, the Card Security Code is located in top right corner of the signature box on the back of the card. Enter the three-digit number following the credit card number. For American Express credit card, the Card Security Code is located on the right directly above the credit card number. Q: Does Addgene accept purchase orders? A: Yes. Addgene accepts institutional purchase orders. Please make sure to include your accounts payable division under your Billing Address. Once you receive your order, please forward your invoice to the accounts payable division to help facilitate the process. Payments due to Addgene shall be invoiced to purchaser and due within 30 days after the date of invoice. If your institution cannot fulfill a purchase order with a credit card or a check payable to Addgene, please contact Addgene Support. Q: Who do I contact if I have a question about billing? A: Please contact Addgene Support.
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