A Material Transfer Agreement (MTA) is a contract that governs the transfer of biological materials, such as reagents, cell lines, plasmids and vectors, as well as other tangible research materials (e.g., chemical compounds, software, mice, etc.) between two parties for research purposes. An MTA defines the rights of the providing scientists, recipient scientists, and their respective organizations with regards to the materials and any derivatives that may result from using the material.

The Office for Commercialization (OTC) reviews all MTAs to ensure that they conform to Wayne State University's intellectual property and research policies. Any research materials whose use could lead to scientific discovery could require a MTA, so it is important that OTC is contacted prior to sending or receiving such materials.

To facilitate the processing of both outgoing MTAs (transfer of WSU-owned materials to an outside organization) and incoming MTAs (transfer of materials owned by an outside organization to WSU), OTC has established the following procedures:

Outgoing MTAs

To initiate an outgoing MTA request, researchers are required to submit to OTC a completed Outgoing MTA Questionnaire, along with any supporting documents. OTTC will evaluate the proposed conditions of the material transfer, draft an appropriate MTA and submit the draft to the recipient organization for signature. If necessary, OTC will work with the recipient organization to negotiate the terms and conditions of the MTA in accordance with WSU policies.

Incoming MTAs

To initiate an incoming MTA request, researchers are required to submit to OTC a completed and signed Affirmation Memo, along with any supporting documents as well as the material provider's original draft MTA. If necessary, OTC will work with the provider organization to negotiate the terms and conditions of the MTA in accordance with WSU policies.

Human-Derived Materials

Prior to sending or receiving any human-derived materials or contacting OTC, researchers must first contact the WSU Institutional Review Board (IRB) and route research plans involving human subjects and materials of human origin through the WSU Human Research Protection Program.

OTC must confirm with the IRB that such transfer is allowed prior to finalizing an incoming or outgoing MTA for human-derived materials.  Therefore, researchers should be sure to attach to any MTA request for human-derived materials a copy of the IRB approval or exemption memo or an IRB determination that no IRB review is required.

MCF10DCIS.com Cell Line

To request the MCF10DCIS.com cell line, researchers must submit a completed Cell Line Request Form to OTC for review. If the request is approved, OTC will generate a draft MTA specific for the cell line and submit the draft to the recipient organization for signature. If necessary, OTC will work with the recipient organization to negotiate the terms and conditions of the MTA in accordance with WSU policies. Please note that due to the nature of this material, permissible changes to the intellectual property terms of this particular MTA are extremely limited.

Please submit MTA request documents and any questions about the MTA process to MTAinfo@wayne.edu