Outsourcing of Experimental Work

With the development of new technologies for simultaneous analysis of many genes, transcripts, or proteins (the “omics” revolution), it has become common to outsource parts of the experimental work. In order to maintain the integrity of the research projects, it is important that the interphase between the researcher and the service is further developed. This involves robust protocols for sample preparation, an informed choice of analytical tool, development of standards for individual technologies, and transparent data analysis. This chapter introduces some of the problems related to analysis of RNA samples in the “omics” context and gives a few hints and key references related to sample preparation for the non-specialist.