I had found one sure way to avoid degradation during shipment and/or storage is to dissolve it in DMFA. It can subsequently be re-precipitated from it. I agree with Dima that the radiation has to be rather high intensity to break the RNA during routine X-ray (then again, I am not sure what the intensity these days are. I opt out of the scanner at the airports). Thick lead containers may be used to eliminate that possibility (secondary emissions from thin lead foils may prove harmful too).
Hiranya S. Roychowdhury, Ph.D. Associate Professor Health & Public Services NMSU-Dona Ana Community College 575 527 7725 (office) ________________________________________ From: [email protected] [[email protected]] on behalf of DK [[email protected]] Sent: Sunday, September 16, 2012 8:58 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: RNA shipment In article <[email protected]>, Peter Ellis <[email protected]> wrote: >Hiya, > >Has anyone had trouble sending or receiving RNA by air recently? We never >used to have problems getting samples to or from collaborators: ship it on >dry ice and as long as it stays frozen, it's fine. > >Recently we (and at least one other researcher in the Department) have >been having problems with degradation en route. The samples are good >condition when sent, stay frozen all the way, and yet are almost >completely degraded on arrival. This has happened with flights to America >and Japan. > >Have they introduced some new scanning of shipments (X-ray or similar?) >that degrades RNA? That would be some really high intensity scan if it efficiently breaks RNA when it is at -70C! That sort of power would be completely pointless, so I'd discount this possibility. Sounds like human error somewhere: The RNA is either degraded before shipment to begin with or whoever receives it is not doing things right. - DK _______________________________________________ Methods mailing list [email protected] http://www.bio.net/biomail/listinfo/methods _______________________________________________ Methods mailing list [email protected] http://www.bio.net/biomail/listinfo/methods
