Access Services

To request services such as transgenic mouse strains, design of nanomaterials, or consultation with a core expert, please complete our request form to tell us about your project and help us understand your specific needs better.

A member of our team will review your form and consult with the appropriate Core Navigator to make sure we have all we need to get to work on your project. Someone from our team will contact you in 1-3 business days to discuss your project and next steps.

To use NUGoKidney research core instruments (e.g., GFR monitors, Echo, microCT), you will need to book a reservation using a system called NUcore.

If you are new to NUcore, submit an account set-up request by completing a NUcore account request form.

Once your account is set-up, you can book the instrument by following the instructions outlined in this user guide.

Note: You must have access to a payment source (i.e., chartstring, purchase order) set up in NUCORE in order to make a reservation. If you need help with this, please email us at nephrohub@northwestern.edu.

New to NUCORE? Please submit an account request. All account requests will be processed within 1-2 business days upon receipt.

If your project will involve the sharing of research products (e.g., compounds, cell lines, transgenic animals, etc.), you will need to complete a Material Transfer Agreement (MTA) as part of the start-up process. If you need an MTA, we'll work with you on completing the required documentation. Because of different collaborations require different agreements, these are completed on a case-by-case basis at Northwestern and have a variable timeline. Please plan accordingly and allow for extra time to complete your request.

For NUGoKidney mouse strain orders, a maximum of 2 males and 2 females per line can be requested. For sample / mice shipment orders, you will receive two invoices – one from NUGoKidney for the mice and export fees (see Billing Process below), and one from the shipping vendor for shipping costs.

Shipping costs are billed separately by shipping vendor and cannot be given until the shipment is done. Charges are usually by weight of each piece that is shipped.

View FY23 pricing by service in the tables below (effective September 1st). If you need a quote for a project, please complete our contact form and let us know which core and service you’re looking to obtain a price quote for. Services that are billed by the hour round up to the nearest quarter-hour. For example, using the GFR monitors for 2 hours and 10 minutes will be billed for 2.25 hours.

*Northwestern University / Chicago Biomedical Consortium  

**Note does not include shipping costs. These are charged separately by the shipping vendor.  

Timing of Billing

NUGoKidney conducts billing on a monthly basis during the first week of each month. Account owners and business administrators should receive billing notification from NUCORE or invoice via email during the first week of the month following work completion. For example, work completed in June will be invoiced in the first week of July.

Billing Notifications & Review

When a work request is completed and ready to be billed, the core will send out a billing review notification through NUcore to the owner and business administrator of the payment source used on the order. Owners / business administrators have 7 days to review and approve the charges.

If there is a problem with the order, the account owner or business administrator can dispute the order. If there is no dispute, no further action needed.

Submitting Payment

For internal users, once the billing review period is completed, the core will process the charges in Northwestern’s financial system.

For external users, account owners and business administrators will receive an email statement. The email contains a direct link to the PDF statement. If a PO was used to place the order, check should be made out to ‘Northwestern University’ and if possible, NUGoKidney in the memo. Please mail checks to the address below:

Northwestern George M. O'Brien Kidney Research Core Center
Simpson Querrey Biomedical Research Center
303 E Superior St.
Rm #8-513
Chicago, IL 60611

If paying via credit card, payment using Visa, MasterCard and Discover (but not American Express) can be made via clicking the link "Pay by Credit Card" embedded in both the body of the statement email and the attached PDF statement. The link is available regardless of whether the user was setup to pay with a PO or credit card. After clicking on the link, you will need to enter the credit card number, expiration date, and then submit the transaction. NUGoKidney is not allowed to accept or process credit card information on behalf of a user. Please note that making payment using a credit card will incur a surcharge in the amount of 3.5 percent added to the sales amount invoiced by the core. This fee is a fixed percentage for all dollar amounts and all card types.

If you are requesting a custom project, quotes may take up to 3 to 5 business days depending on the complexity of the project. For a quote, please complete our contact form and let us know which core and service you’re looking to obtain a price quote for.

Your request will be routed to our center administrator. They will respond within 1-3 business days to provide you with a quote for your requested services. Your request will then be routed to the appropriate core contact who will assist with next steps for your project.

Yes! Tell us a little about yourself, your project, and what you’re looking for by completing our contact form. We’ll connect you with the appropriate person to explore the collaboration opportunity.

Our cores may be able to offer additional services based on users' specific requirements. Please submit your request and book a consultation to discuss custom projects.

If NUGoKidney has contributed in any way to a publication, poster, or presentation, please support us by citing NUGoKidney's grant number P30 DK114857 in the acknowledgement section. Learn more about how to provide acknowledgement by visiting our acknowledgement page.

Please email nephrohub@northwestern.edu or complete our contact form.

These are emailed to the account owner (usually the Principal Investigator) and the business administrator.

In NUcore, each user must be assigned to a valid payment source as an owner, purchaser, or business administrator. Each payment source has an owner and may also have purchasers and/or business administrators.

• Owners: Receive billing notifications for their payment sources and have the ability to add and remove purchasers.
• Purchasers: May use a payment source and will receive receipts for their individual purchases, but do not otherwise have any control over the payment source.
• Business administrators: Receive billing notifications at the same time as owners and have the ability to review charges.

By default, the billing review period is seven calendar days from the moment the review email is sent. However, under certain circumstances (e.g., when nearing the end of a grant or billing period), the core may push orders through the review period sooner in order to finish billing on time.

If you’re having technical issue with using NUcore, please contact the NUcore support team at nucore@northwestern.edu.