Below you will find the guidelines for blood sampling and shipment of patient material.

• amounts:

  patients	20 ml EDTA blood      +	5 ml heparin blood
  family members	20 ml EDTA blood

• please use plastic tubes, glass tubes will not be accepted
• please put name, date of birth and gender on each tube
• please fill in one of the forms below, when applicable
• ship samples at room temperature. Do not freeze blood samples!
• samples should arrive in our lab within 48 hours after withdrawal, send them preferably on a Monday or Tuesday per courier to:

Mrs. S.D. van der Velde-Visser Department of Human Genetics, 855 Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre Geert Grooteplein 10 6525 GA Nijmegen The Netherlands

Important: On the day of shipment, please send an e-mail to: celkweek@antrg.umcn.nl

Sending blood samples from patients with inherited blindness in the Netherlands.

	DNA Diagnostics: Check on page 4 of the PDF form ‘Blindness DNA Diagnostics’ whether mutation analysis for the patient is possible and covered by patient’s health insurance. Informed consent: mark whether follow-up studies are approved by the patient. Send blood samples and filled-in form to the address given in the upper left corner.
	Research: Make sure informed consent is given by the patient. Mark one of the eye diseases on the list of the PDF form ‘Blindness Research’. Send blood samples to the address indicated at the bottom of the PDF form ‘Blindness Research’.
	If there is no CMO approval: By filling in the PDF form ‘New research blindness’, send the patient information, but not the blood samples to the address on the form. We will investigate whether the patient can be included in a CMO-approved study.

  Sending blood samples from patients with inherited blindness from outside the Netherlands.

• For DNA Diagnostics covered by health insurance, contact mrs. dr. L. Hoefsloot: dna@umcn.nl
• For Research, contact prof. dr. F.P.M. Cremers: F.Cremers@antrg.umcn.nl

In case of problems, please contact our secretary.