Safe Deposit Service
The Culture Collections offers secure, confidential, second site storage facilities for your valuable microbial and viral seed stocks or cell banks. At ECACC this will be cryostorage, whereas at NCTC it is more likely to be freeze-dried storage in fused glass ampoules.
Cell Lines
ECACC has over twenty year's experience of storing safe deposits for the scientific community. The purpose built, ultra-low temperature storage facility situated at the Public Health England's Porton Down site is one of the largest secure liquid nitrogen repositories in Europe. ECACC offers a service for the storage of research grade material which provides the following benefits:
- A secure facility with restricted access control systems, staffed 24hrs a day
- All cryostorage vessels are configured for automatic fill from two independent 10,000L reservoir vessels and are constantly monitored by telemetry alarm systems for nitrogen levels and temperature.
- The use of "sentinel" monitoring cell lines stored in the same vessels
- State-of-the-art barcode driven inventory control software
Go to 'How to submit a sample for safe deposit' should you wish to use this service.
Viruses
ECACC offers a standard safe deposit service for the storage of viruses. The service is aimed at providing a secure second site storage facility for viruses up to ACDP category 3. Please contact us for further details should you wish to use this service.
Bacteria
ECACC and NCTC offer a standard safe deposit service for bacterial deposits as frozen ampoules (ACDP 2) or freeze-dried stabilate in fused glass ampoules (ACDP 3). Please contact us for further details.
DNA
We also store DNA as part of our safe deposit service (at -80°C or -20°C). Please contact us for further information.
| Standard service (all collections) | Unit | Price |
| New customer set up | One off fee | £225 |
| Transaction fee –additions (existing customers) | Per transaction | £60 |
| Annual rental - up to 100 ampoules or cryovials (1ml) | Per ampoule or cryovial per year or part thereof | £10.50 |
| - up to 500 ampoules or cryovials (1ml) | Per ampoule or cryovial per year or part thereof | £8.50 |
| - above 500 ampoules or cryovials (1ml) | Per ampoule or cryovial per year or part thereof | £5.50 |
| Transaction fee – removals (existing customers) | Per ampoule or cryovial Minimum charge |
£2 £100 |