Frequently Asked Questions

A biospecimen CRO (Contract Research Organization) designs, manages, and executes the collection of human biological samples such as tissue, blood, and plasma for pharmaceutical, biotech, and diagnostic research. Unlike a biobank, a biospecimen CRO prospectively collects clinically annotated specimens to your exact study specifications.

MT Group has operated as a biospecimen CRO since 2003, supporting translational research programs across oncology, autoimmune disease, infectious disease, and metabolic conditions. We manage everything from study design and IRB-compliant site activation to patient enrollment, sample processing, and delivery — partnering with pharma and biotech clients who need research-ready specimens with the clinical context to make them meaningful.

A biospecimen supplier provides human biological samples (such as tissue, blood, serum, plasma, or urine) for pharmaceutical, biotech, and diagnostic research. Suppliers range from biobanks distributing archived inventory to prospective CROs that collect samples to order.

What sets MT Group apart:

• Prospective, custom collections: Our focus on prospectives means we don’t pull from a shelf. Every study is designed around your specific research needs.
• MT Level metadata: Comprehensive clinical annotation delivered with every sample, including demographics, medical history, treatment history, and many other types of contextual metadata.
• 200+ collection site network: Diverse network of academic institutions to urgent cares and everything in between, including oncology, dermatology, gastroenterology, and many other specialists.
• Partnership model: We invest in understanding your research goals upfront; we’re not just filling a sample order. Expect many clarifying questions at the study scoping stage.
• Quality guarantee: If our biospecimens don’t meet your standards, we replace them at no charge.

Custom biospecimen collections typically get started within 3-4 weeks, and enrollment can require weeks to years, depending on several factors:

Key factors that influence timeline:

• Number of subjects
• Sample type
• Population
• Complexity (i.e., clinical data, lab reports, delivery schedules, other)

We provide candid enrollment projections with every proposal and do not overpromise. If a study is enrolling slower than expected, we will let you know and share what we are doing to get the study back on track.

We focus on custom collections and have found that catalogs create distance between us and our customers, which can ultimately lead to issues. We have heard too many frustrations from our customers about catalogs to believe that they are a good fit for our business. That said, we aim to respond quickly to every inquiry as we understand that time is of the essence.

Most fresh specimens (e.g. tissue and blood) are delivered within 24 hours of collection via an overnight courier. We have optimized our systems (media, shippers, processes) to ensure the highest biospecimen viability. In some situations, biologic delivery on the same day as collection is possible.

All of the MT Group’s biospecimen collections are conducted under IRB approved protocols. Most of our studies are performed under already established central IRB approvals, which allows for rapid study startup. Some studies require local IRB approval, which we can accelerate by leveraging our many years of IRB experience.

Our sites’ subject consent forms provide complete research and commercial rights including but not limited to gene discovery, genetic research, and patents. No future financial benefit from any product, material, or information is owed to the subjects.

Several of our sites have received IRB approval to collect pediatric subjects for our studies.

While each study is different, for most studies screening begins 1-2 weeks after receipt of a purchase order. During these 1-2 weeks, we select our collection sites, develop a study-specific SOP, build and deliver study kits (tubes, media, shipping materials), and onboard our sites with a study initiation call.

The first step is typically an introductory call with a potential customer to cover study goals, populations, biologics, and timing. During the call, we often refine the collection parameters and pose additional questions for follow up. If necessary, we then conduct feasibility investigations to understand study potential and projected enrollment. After we have finalized the study design and feasibility, we provide a detailed quote to the customer that includes enrollment projections and study costs.