The US government contract funding the National Stem Cell Bank (NSCB) will end on February 28, 2010. Orders for cells to be obtained under the auspices of this contract must be received by the NSCB no later than close of business February 1, 2010. Orders should be placed through the NSCB website (www.nationalstemcellbank.org). All signed MOU/SLA agreements must be received by February, 19 2010. Please note that the National Stem Cell Bank is not able to take non-US orders at this time.

Starting February 2, 2010, these materials can be ordered from the Wisconsin International Stem Cell Bank (the “WISC Bank”) operated by WiCell Research Institute, for delivery after February 28, 2010. Terms and conditions for orders through the Wisconsin International Stem Cell Bank will be different than those previously applied to orders under the auspices of the NSCB.

The Wisconsin International Stem Cell Bank (WISC Bank) serves researchers engaged in non-commercial research at any academic or not-for-profit institution.

1. What is the process for requesting stem cells through the Wisconsin International Stem Cell Bank (WISC Bank)?

The stem cells are requested through the WISC bank at www.wicell.org.  Please see the stem cell request process page for more information.   

2. What agreement(s) do I need to complete for my stem cell request?

For each stem cell request, a document must be downloaded and completed from this web site that contains two agreements: the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for your institution, and a Simple Letter Agreement (SLA) for the Principal Investigator. Please note that the terms of the agreement are non-negotiable.  

Before the WISC Bank will ship cells to an investigator, we need a fully executed MOU signed by the authorized official from the institution, and a Simple Letter Agreement signed by the Principal Investigator and the authorized official from the institution. Please check with your Technology Transfer Office, or Legal Department to determine if your institution has already signed an MOU with WiCell/WISC Bank for human embryonic stem cells. If your institution has already signed a MOU, you will only need to process the SLA agreement.  You may obtain a copy of the MOU/SLA by printing a copy from this web site, calling 608-263-6297, or sending an e-mail to our Contract Manager at .  This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it. Your online stem cell request and payment of the transfer fee are also required prior to shipment. All researchers are required to pay for shipping costs.
For UCSF lines:

The WISC Bank will process the agreement and forward it to UCSF for the appropriate signatures.  One signed original will be returned to you for your records.  Your online stem cell request and payment of the transfer fee to the WISC Bank are also required prior to shipment.

For all cell lines:
After submitting an online stem cell request through this web site, please complete the necessary fillable PDF agreement below and send to the address below.

AGREEMENTS WILL BE AVAILABLE SHORTLY.  PLEASE CALL 1-888-204-1782 WITH ANY QUESTIONS.

Once all documents, payments and shipping accounts are completed and received, we usually ship the cells within 10 working days.

More information regarding the stem cell request process.

3. Are WISC Bank stem cells eligible for NIH funding?
Please see http://grants.nih.gov/stem_cells/registry/current.htm for a current list of stem cell lines eligible for NIH funding.

4. What cell lines are available?
Please visit the WISC Bank home page for more details.

5. Which cell lines should I order?

We suggest that you read the literature in your field of study to help identify the cell lines used in that research. Should that groundwork not lead to a specific recommendation, please keep in mind that while different cell lines are used more frequently than others, there is no evidence that one cell line is "better" than another.

6. How much do the stem cells cost?

The WISC Bank serves researchers engaged in non-commercial research, academic and not-for-profit institutions for $1000/line.  The transfer fee charged covers costs involved in culturing, maintaining, and handling the cell lines.  Researchers are responsible for all shipping costs; domestic orders, researchers must provide FedEx account information prior to shipment; international orders, researchers must provide FedEx and World Courier account information prior to shipment.  As always, technical assistance is provided by WiCell staff to researchers who need help establishing the cell lines in their laboratory.

We accept the following forms of payment:

   a) check issued to the WiCell Research Institute,

   b) wire transfer,

   c) money order, or

   d) credit card (MasterCard, Visa or American Express).

We cannot accept purchase orders.

An Industry Research License and Material Transfer Agreement are required for research using Wisconsin stem cells in for-profit companies or by academic researchers that receive funding by for-profit companies. The financial terms of this agreement involve an up-front fee and an annual maintenance fee.

7. Are there restrictions on patenting or publishing discoveries made with Wisconsin International Stem Cell Bank (WISC Bank) stem cells?
No. Investigators are free to patent and publish discoveries made during their research using WISC Bank stem cells. If you want to commercialize your discovery, however, you may need a commercial license. Please contact us.  This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it with questions about commercialization.

8. How will the stem cells be delivered?
The cells will be shipped frozen in a dry shipper. The container contains enough cells to expand the cell line. There are more details in the WISC Bank’s Distribution Policy. Stem cells will be shipped within 10 working days of executing all necessary documents, receiving payments and researcher confirmation of shipping information.  Contact us This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it for more information.

9. How do I maintain and culture the stem cells?
You can obtain protocols through the Certificate of Analysis for each line on the WISC Bank home page.

10. Will the WISC Bank provide the feeder cells or culture media to grow the stem cells?
No, but we will provide instructions on how to prepare the media and the mouse embryonic feeder cells. It is the investigator's responsibility to procure the media components and to isolate the mouse feeder layer.