Mass Spectrometry Center
University of Washington * School of Pharmacy
Department of Medicinal Chemistry

RATES

Rate Structure (As of April 1, 2007)

The Mass Spectrometry Center is operated as a Cost Center through which institutional users (academic, non-profit and corporate), including those of the host Department, contribute to the upkeep of the resource by means of a recharge system. Rates are determined annually and are based on the total operating costs of the Center (salaries, supplies, and maintenance) and individual instrument usage. All rates are reviewed and approved by the University of Washington Administration and are subject to change. Users funded by federal, academic, and nonprofit organizations without University of Washington affiliation will be assessed an additional 15.6% indirect charge as directed by the University's Administration. Unless other arrangements have been made, the Center will bill for its services on a monthly basis.

Recognizing the diversity of research interests on- and off-campus the Center offers three separate “for fee” services to the investigator. These are: Submitted Sample Analysis; Investigator Instrument Use; and Protocol Development.

Submitted Sample Analysis

In general, those samples requiring on-line chromatographic separation as a part of their analysis are charged on a time basis. All others are per sample. Sample preparation and submission requirements are discussed in the Sample Submission section. The following table summarizes the "Service Charges" for the types of analyses performed on Submitted Samples.

¹ Time based rates available upon request.
² A minimum charge of up to $50 will be assessed for assays requiring user specific hardware setups.
³ The higher per sample charges include sample cleanup prior to analysis or an on-line LC-MS setup.
⁴ Only samples having undergone a Center approved Digestion Protocol will be accepted.

Investigator Instrument Use

Investigators must have a specific project requiring the relatively regular and repeated use of a specific instrument to qualify for training. Training is provided at a charge rate of $100/hr and $200/hour for academic and corporate users, respectively. See Investigator Instrument Use under Services for more details.

Table II - INVESTIGATOR USE RATE CHARGES (Center trained Users)

N.B. The Center reserves the right to regulate the use of instruments by individuals or research groups and/or to deny instrument access due to overbooking and/or demonstrated incompetence.

Protocol Development

PROTOCOL DEVELOPMENT RATE-CHARGES

The costs associated with the development of a Sample Preparation and/or Mass Spectrometry Protocol are highly dependent upon the degree of sample complexity, the levels of instrumentation required to achieve meaningful results, and the depth of previously reported analytical work. In addition, the availability and competency of technical personnel also plays an important role in the satisfactory establishment and maintenance of an assay. Given the variability of these factors it is extremely difficult to estimate the costs of development and implementation of a protocol without a detailed analysis of its specific requirements. Unless agreed otherwise, personnel costs for these services will be assessed at the rate of $50 and $100/hour for academic and corporate investigators, respectively. In addition, mass spectrometer use by Center personnel in the course of Protocol Development will be added to the billing at the appropriate hourly Investigator Use Rate.

The first step in the development of a protocol or assay and establishing development costs is to specifically determine its requirements. The Center provides two questionnaires to assist in this process. These are the SAMPLE PREPARATION DEVELOPMENT (PDF or DOC) and the MASS SPECTROMETRY ASSAY DEVELOPMENT QUESTIONNAIRES (PDF or DOC). Individuals interested in developing an assay through the Center (by advisement, collaboration, or contract services) are required to complete the appropriate questionnaire(s) before beginning the process. Please contact staff member Tom Kalhorn for more information with regard to Protocol Development.