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Featured Product: Salimetrics Infant's Swab

Efficiently Collect Saliva From Infants

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Testimonial:

"I have recently ordered several supplies from Salimetrics and I must say that your staff is wonderful – beyond helpful!"

—Melissa Bright, Ph.D.

Featured Saliva Test: Androstenedione

"Studying the androgenic and estrogenic effects?"

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Testimonial:

"Since 2006, The Salimetrics Lab has provided us with prompt results and excellent customer service."

— Jill S. Halterman, MD, MPH

Resources / FAQs

What is CLIA?More »
The Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) are U.S. regulations created to provide quality standards for laboratory testing to ensure accuracy, reliability and timeliness of test results. These standards apply to any facility that does laboratory testing on specimens derived from humans to give information for clinical purposes, including the assessment of health. While research laboratories are not required to follow CLIA, it is a good idea to work with labs that, at a minimum, follow quality standards that ensure the results you get are accurate, consistent, and reliable.
What Is Proficiency Testing?More »
Proficiency testing evaluates a laboratory's ability to achieve a correct test result. It is proof of the lab's knowledge, protocols, personnel, and equipment. In a Proficiency Testing Program, samples are sent to laboratories twice per year for analysis. Each laboratory's results are then compared with a control lab and other laboratories to verify that results between labs are accurate and consistent.
What To Look For In A Saliva Lab?More »
How Do I Collect From Animals?More »
The same collection methods used for humans are adaptable for animal collections. Domesticated (companion) animal saliva collection is straightforward. Wild animal collection will need a greater degree of ingenuity and patience.

Dogs, cows, sheep, horses and pigs are usually very cooperative subjects. Know your animal! A horse might allow you to reach into their mouth to retrieve a Salimetrics Children's Swab (SCS). Dogs, on the other hand, will probably want to swallow a swab, so it makes sense to use the Salimetrics Children’s Swab (SCS) while holding onto one end of the SCS. Cats are more challenging subjects requiring a very patient approach with the SCS or perhaps the Salimetrics infant swab (SIS).

The best sample collection approach requires both knowing what your animals will tolerate and what analyte you’ll be measuring.

The Salimetrics technical staff is always available for consultation. Many animal studies abstracts can be found in our reference database.

What Happens To My Samples At The Lab?More »
Samples are logged into the laboratory’s database, labeled with unique bar coded number (Salimetrics ID) and held at -20°C until testing commences. On the day of analysis, samples are thawed at room temperature, centrifuged and assayed. Samples are returned to the freezer upon completion of testing.  Assay data is reviewed by the supervisor and samples to be retested are identified.

After all samples are assayed, a preliminary data report is compiled and verified by the laboratory supervisor. Information from the original sample roster (timepoint information, dates of collection, etc.) is added to the report at this time. The technical supervisor reviews the preliminary report and generates the final report. The final report in Excel format is emailed to the investigator. A paper copy is mailed only if specifically requested.

Do I Really Need Bar-Coded Labels?More »
Our bar-coded labels are designed to adhere to vials during freezing (to -80°C), thawing and centrifuging. Using legible, pre-printed bar coded labels will make sample collection and organization much easier for your staff!

Are you willing to accept the risk of labels falling off the vials during transport to our lab?

Of course NOT! Bar-coded labels not only speed up processing, but also reduce the risk of errors in your data.

Let us work with you to decide on a numbering scheme that makes sense for your project! It's one less thing for you to worry about once sample collections begin.