Obtaining Schmidtea mediterranea from the Sánchez Lab at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research
The Schmidtea mediterranea ( S.med ) asexual clone CIW4 (a.k.a. C4) was personally collected in Spain by Dr. Sánchez Alvarado and there is no commercial source for this exotic species. In general, we are happy to assist qualified researchers and postsecondary educators in obtaining a starter colony for work in which this species is required. Educators and those interested in alternate species should also explore the Planarian Education Resource. Since S.med bears the threat of establishment in the wild as an exotic pest, we provide worms under the following conditions, which we require that the responsible party acknowledge:
1. That you will ensure that the animals are not released to the environment, and will be maintained only at your institution, under your personal supervision.
2. That you will not further disseminate the animals without the knowledge and permission of Dr. Sánchez Alvarado (or his delegate).
3. That you will euthanize the colony upon completion of your studies.
We trust you will understand that we make these conditions out of our responsibility to protect native environments. Acknowledgement is required from the Lab Head or responsible Advisor/PI to students/PostDocs. If you are not the lab head please acknowledge the conditions yourself and include the Advisor/P.I. information in comments, or have the PI complete the form. In the case of course lab sections, we will be happy to ship worms annually or biannually so that you do not need to maintain them at your facility.
We also ask for a FedEx (preferred) or UPS account number to which we may charge the shipping cost, as well as complete shipping address, phone, and email for the individual to whom the shipment to supply to FedEx. Worms are shipped Priority Overnight, and the designated receiver will be contacted before shipment.
