Sample Requirements:

Blood in both EDTA (purple top) and Na Heparin (Green top) tubes: Adult: 10 cc per tube; Child: 4 cc per tube

Tissue: 3 mm of specimen (placenta, cord, products of conception, skin biopsy) in sterile tissue culture media.

Paperwork Requirements:

CMA Requisition
Signed Consent Form

Genetic counseling along with a completed consent process is recommended. Please submit the signed consent form together with the CMA Requisition Form and clearly specify which tests are ordered.

Shipping Information:

Fill out the CMA Requisition Form - an incomplete form will delay testing.
Label all specimen tubes with full name and date of birth of the patient.
Ship at room temperature in an insulated container. Do NOT heat or freeze.
Ship samples by your most expedient international courier, such as FedEx or DHL. Samples are accepted Monday- Friday. We recommend shipping samples early in the week. Do not ship specimens off Thursday or Friday unless the laboratory is notified first. In order to minimize delays at U.S. Customs, please include a letter on your official letterhead explaining that this is a patient sample for clinical testing and is not of commercial value and that the package does not contain materials of animal origin.
Shipping kits are available upon request.
All international samples mustbe prepaid. For payment options, please see more detailed information below under billing policy.
For additional information, contact the laboratories by phone at 713-798-6555 or 1-800- 411-GENE (4363) or email ( ).

Sample Shipping Address:

Baylor College of Medicine
Medical Genetics Laboratories
2450 Holcombe
Grand Blvd. - Receiving Dock
Houston , Texas 77021-2024

Phone: 1-800-411-GENE (4363)
Fax: 713-798-6584
E-mail:

NEW Parental Testing Policy:

The laboratory has always offered testing of parents at no cost if it is judged to be necessary to assist in the interpretation of whether a copy number variation is benign or pathological. Free testing of parents will now be expanded to include all abnormal results identified by CMA in a patient in our laboratory. Parental testing is often helpful in determining if the abnormality is de novo inherited or whether balanced translocations may be present in a parent. The patient report will clearly indicate the type of parental testing recommended and the sample requirement. Genetic counseling is advisable as part of requesting parental samples. Different policies apply for prenatal samples.

Sample requirements for Parental Samples:

FISH/Chromosome analysis: 3-5cc Whole blood in a Sodium Heparin tube (Green-top)
Array analysis: 3-5cc Whole blood in a EDTA tube (Purple-top)

A separate completed requisition is required for each parental sample. This requisition lists all available cytogenetics tests.

Turnaround times for Parental Samples:

Depending upon the type of analysis performed on the parental sample the turnaround times will be 5-10 days. The parental and updated patients’ reports will be sent to the referring physician or institution.

Cancellation Policy:

Test orders must be cancelled before 5:00pm (central time) the next business day after the sample is received. Cancellation orders received after that time cannot be honored. Tests will be performed, charged, and reports issued. This includes tests cancelled for billing (financial responsibility) issues:

Call Client Services 1-800-411-4363 or 713-798-6555 for cancellations or revisions.
A Test Cancellation/Revision Form will be faxed to your institution for an authorized signature. Upon completion, please fax form to 713-798-6584.

Billing Policy:

Important Note for our International Clients: Individual international samples must be prepaid at the time of sample submission. You may submit check, money order, credit card, or wire transfer payment with single samples.

International Payment Options:

Prepaid Samples
Prepaid samples receive a prompt pay discount when required payment is received with the sample. We accept checks, money orders, credit card payments, and wire transfers. Please make checks and money orders payable to the Medical Genetics Laboratories. There is a $20.00 processing fee for insufficient check payments.

Credit Card Payments
Approved credit card (AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, or Visa) payments are accepted. The card type, cardholder name and signature, credit card account number, expiration date, and e-mail address must be provided.

Wire Transfers
Payments can be made via wire transfer from your bank. The bank identification information is referenced below. Please notify our business office (713-798-3295 or ) when a wire transfer is performed. The wire transfer information:

Recipient Bank Information:
JP Morgan Chase Bank
717 Travis, 8th Floor South
Mail Code: 8-CBBS-302
Houston, TX 77002
713-216-0404

Swift Code: TCBKUS44
Account Number: 30100015903
ABA Number: 113000609
Credit: Baylor College of Medicine, General Account
Reference: Medical Genetics

Financial Office Contact:
Barbara Daniel

Phone: 713-798-3295
Fax: 713-798-4187
P.O. Box 4832
Houston, TX 77210-4832