FAQs

General FAQs

About CancerTools

Why was CancerTools created?

Research tools are critical for scientists to advance cancer research discoveries. CancerTools aims to aid the accessibility of cancer research materials by creating a global, non-profit, cancer-focused research tools biorepository. Please visit our about us page to watch our video and read more about our mission.

Where is CancerTools based?

CancerTools is based in London, UK, but distributes the cancer research tools in its collection globally.

What is the relationship between CancerTools, Cancer Research Horizon and Cancer Research UK?

CancerTools is the research tool arm of Cancer Research UK. Learn more about our relationship to Cancer Research UK and Cancer Research Horizons.

Inventorship, Ownership and Intellectual property rights

Who are the inventors of my cancer research tool?

This is usually the individual(s) who created the tangible new research tool. For example, this could be the post-doc who created the research tool in the laboratory, and/or their principal investigator or lab manager who developed and planned the creation of the tool.

Who are the owners of my cancer research tool?

If you created a research tool whilst you were employed at a company, university or research institute, then there will be specific terms in place, usually detailed in your employment or other contract, that determine the ownership of the rights in any research tools that you create. These terms can differ between countries and between institutes. In the UK, for example, the owner is typically the university or other entity that you were employed by or affiliated to at the time you developed the research tool.

Will we be acknowledged as the depositor of the research tool?

The research tool website page will state the inventors and owners of a research tool and the inventor’s affiliated research institute (if applicable) at the time the research tool was developed. If you have made another research tool available via CancerTools, such other research tool will also be referenced.

Do you help me patent?

No. If you wish to apply for a patent for your research tool, it is up to you or the owner of the research tool (as applicable) to apply. If your research tool already has an associated patent (and/or trade mark), it is up to the affiliated institute to maintain those intellectual property rights at their discretion.

What are third party rights associated to my research tool?

A third party may have rights in a component of your research tool that has been developed elsewhere, e.g. at another institute, or by somebody else, such as host cell line, fluorescent tag, promoter vector etc. For example, if you create a new genetically modified cell line, the creator of the parental cell line (if not you) would also need to be identified. If another laboratory developed the parental line, then that laboratory/their affiliated institute would have rights in the parental line and therefore potentially in your research tool. There may also be terms in place between your institute and a third party that determine ownership of the rights in certain research tools. This means that multiple institutes could have ownership rights in your research tool, and you will need permission from all those third parties before you can commercialise the research tool – something that the team at CancerTools is here to help with.

What are my rights after depositing?

When a research tool is made available via CancerTools, ownership of the tool doesn’t change. As the inventor or owner of a research tool, you, and your affiliated research institute if applicable (at the time the research tools was developed), are free to continue to use the tool for your own research and teaching purposes. CancerTools will manage access requests and distribute your tool to cancer researchers globally.

Accessing our tools FAQs

Why should I access research tools through CancerTools?

CancerTools is an established, single, centralised, online collaborative specifically focused on global cancer research tools such as antibodies, cell lines, experimental models, small molecules etc. from 180+ institutes worldwide.

CancerTools shares a mission with cancer researchers to accelerate cancer research. To that end, tools accessed through CancerTools pay for future cancer research, via a global revenue share to the inventing researcher and to Cancer Research UK, the world’s largest cancer research charitable foundation. Visit the tool collection.

What tools are available through CancerTools?

The CancerTools collection consists of a vast diversity of cancer research tools including antibodies, cell lines, iPSCs, organoids, PDX models, mouse models, KCGS, FragLites, proteins, vectors, media and more. Start your search.

Can I get a tool sample before I acquire my desired research tool?

As a non-profit organisation, we are unable to provide samples of our tools free of charge.

Most of our tools are already available with competitive prices.

For further information please refer to the tool pages to ensure that the tools meet your needs before ordering.

The order process

What are the payment options when placing an order?

The following payment options are available:

• Payment via credit card through a secure PayPal link provided upon request.
• Purchase order with Nett 30 days payment terms.

Should you require information concerning payment details for bank transfers, vendor set up or tax forms, please enquire by emailing [email protected].

Do you charge VAT?

Your place of work determines whether VAT is charged.

It is therefore vital that your customer profile accurately reflects your place of work. This ensures that the correct level of VAT is added when paying through purchase order.

For credit card payments, VAT is automatically added, but can be claimed back by academic institutions.

If you believe that you are exempt, please provide your VAT registration details within the order process, alternatively please contact us here.

Can I get a quote before ordering?

We can help provide your organisation with a competitive quote that itemises the product details and shipping cost for your review. Once a quote is accepted our teams will help to process your order and take payment.

Quotes are valid for 3 months and subject to price change and stock availability should the request not be fulfilled within this timeframe.

I’ve placed my order, what happens now?

You will receive an automated order acknowledgement/acceptance email including estimated dispatch time.

Once the order is dispatched, you will receive a shipping notification and tracking details via email. In the unlikely event of a delay, we will be sure to keep you informed and get in touch with you via email.

Order shipments

How do you ship your tools?

This information can be found in the handling section on the tool webpage. However, in general:

Do you have agents in my country?

We do not use any agents, all our tools are being sold directly from our website CancerTools.org and shipped globally from our depository in the UK.

If you are interested in any of our tools, please let us know the 6-digit tool number from our website and we will be happy to provide you with the quote.

Where can you ship to?

We sell all our tools directly from our website and ship Worldwide* from our biorepository based in United Kingdom. We do not have nominated agents in most countries.

Please note that shipments of our tools to different countries might require additional permits and procedures to be followed to secure smooth transit and custom clearance.

As a non-profit organisation we are doing our utmost to minimise cost.

*We may need to use a specialist courier due to dry ice/domestic custom clearance restrictions/regulations which we will discuss with you at the time of placing your order.

Licensing FAQs

Why should I license research tools from CancerTools?

We have curated a large and diverse portfolio of research tools and technologies with a core focus on cancer through our collaborative model with leading cancer scientists globally.

Our existing agreements with commercial organisations facilitate the use of these tools and technologies within their research and development programs covering various areas including drug discovery, disease modeling and in-vitro diagnostics.

CancerTools actively partners with commercial organisations to help them:

• gain access to novel tools and technologies
• speed up proof of concept and validation
• open unexplored strategically aligned avenues

Together, we can leverage research tools and technologies developed at Cancer Research UK and leading cancer institutes in the world.

If you are a commercial organisation and are interested in accessing some of CancerTools’s collection of research tools, get in touch with our Licensing team.

The CancerTools Licensing team;

• has global scope across all tool types
• makes tools available for internal Research Use and/or in vitro
  diagnostic use
• has flexibility to pursue a broad range of deal structures
• has over 30+ years’ experience in licensing

How can I access a research tool for my academic research that is commercially sponsored?

‘Commercially sponsored’ research means research that is sponsored by a for-profit organisation, yet is carried out at a non-profit organisation. In this instance, you will require a commercial use license from our licensing team.

Depositing FAQs

Does my tool need to be patented?

A research tool does not need to be patented to be available on CancerTools.

Does my research tool need to be published before I can deposit it?

Your research tool does not need to have been included in a published research paper. However, you will need to provide evidence of the tool’s use and functionality. We also ask that you keep us updated of any publications when they are granted.

Do I need to provide my own packaging and materials e.g. dry ice/ labels etc.?

CancerTools will provide you with instructions on the packaging requirements and how to package your research tools to ensure safe delivery to our biorepository and production facilities. A team member will also be available to answer any queries you may have on the packaging process.

Who’s responsible for the shipping and payment for depositing my tools with CancerTools?

CancerTools will liaise with you to arrange the collection of your tools for shipping using our nominated courier. Although the collection is complimentary for all CancerTools community members, depending on the region you are requesting the collection from, you may need to liaise directly with the nominated courier to arrange your research tools collection at a time that suits you – our team are able to provide guidance on this process if needed.