Experimental Animal Division

Item	No	Question	Answer
Required Documents	1	Who should sign the MTA?	We require the signature of the authorized representative of your institute, such as that of the Dean, Vice-chairman, or Head of the Intellectual Property Department. Furthermore, the principal investigator should sign the “Name of Scientist” field.
Required Documents	2	Do I have to mail the MTA?	Please email us a PDF or fax a copy of the draft MTA for our initial review. If accepted, we will then ask you a pdf copy of partially-signed MTA by email.
Required Documents	3	Can you accept a purchase order form of our institution?	Unfortunately not. Please use the purchase order form posted on our website: Order
Delivery of the Mice	1	How soon can I expect delivery?	Expected delivery of the mice takes up to 1-3 months after receiving the necessary documents.
Delivery of the Mice	2	How soon can you send me the frozen embryos?	Expected delivery takes up to 1 month.
Delivery of the Mice	3	Could you send the mice to the third party breeding facility?	When you request to ship the mice to a contract breeding facility, not to your University/Institution, please complete an "Additional Terms and Conditions for Outsourcing Work" to transfer the mice to a third party.
Pricing	1	What is the cost of one mouse?	Click here for further details Estimate Calculator
Pricing	2	What is the cost of a breeding pair?	Estimate Calculator
Health Monitoring Program	1	Who is the veterinarian and what is his contact information?	Keisuke Sato, DJCLAM, Ph.D., E-mail: animal.brc@riken.jp
Shipment	1	Which courier company do you use for shipment of mice?	We will use the courier company designated by the user. Please let us know your preferred courier when arranging shipment.
Shipment	2	Can you give me an idea of the shipping costs?	Shipping costs are approximately JPY 450,000 for 1–2 boxes; however, the exact cost will vary depending on the weight, size, and destination of the shipment. Shipping charges will be billed directly to the user by the courier company. For a precise estimate, please contact your preferred courier company to obtain a quotation.
Payment	1	Do you need my purchase order number before shipping?	No, your purchase order number is not necessary.
Payment	2	Can I use a credit card to pay for the mice?	Yes, you can. Please click on the URL and follow the instructions to pay for the mice with your credit card. Prepayment of distribution fees Order Form
Other	1	My colleague in the next laboratory has already obtained KO mice from RIKEN BRC. May I use them in my research project?	Please contact animal.brc@riken.jp. RIKEN BRC strongly recommends that you obtain the mice directly from our center to ensure quality.
Other	2	Can you send me the genotyping protocol of the transgenic mice I ordered?	You can find and download the genotyping protocol of Tg and KO mice here: "Genotyping PCR protocol"
Other	3	I purchased frozen embryos and received a dry shipper. I worried about the quality of the samples, because there seemed no liquid nitrogen in the bottom of the container.	We use a pre-tested dry shipper which contains liquid nitrogen in a porous foam absorbent material lining inner wall of the container. The storage temperature in the central cavity remains below -150°C for more than a week with liquid nitrogen dry vapor. That is why you could not find any liquid (nitrogen) in the bottom of the container. We use dry shippers with documented usage history. For our future improvement of our service and resource quality, please send us information on the recovery rates after thawing our samples to animal.brc@riken.jp. A dry shipper is reusable and must be returned promptly. We really appreciate your kind cooperation.
Use Authorization and Administration Fee	1	What is the “Use Authorization and Administration Fee”?	It is a charge for services required to ensure the appropriate and compliant use of mouse strains originating from third parties. These services include permission verification, execution and management of MTAs, and maintenance of usage records. This fee does not cover the cost of the mice themselves.
Use Authorization and Administration Fee	2	When does this fee apply?	This fee applies when mouse strains are obtained indirectly (e.g., from another institution or collaborator) without direct transfer from RIKEN BRC, and when depositor permission and MTA processing are required.
Use Authorization and Administration Fee	3	Is this a fee for purchasing mice?	No. This is not a fee for the mice themselves, but for administrative processes related to permission and contractual management when no physical transfer from BRC occurs.
Use Authorization and Administration Fee	4	What is the purpose of this policy?	The policy aims to ensure protection of depositor rights, proper tracking of resource usage, and compliance with legal and contractual requirements.