Feb 24, 2025

Public workspaceSebum Collection Protocol

DOI
dx.doi.org/10.17504/protocols.io.q26g7moz9gwz/v1
  • Elisa Menozzi1,2,
  • Roxana Mezabrovschi1,2,
  • Aleesa Nazeer1,2,
  • Amelia Anderson1,
  • Georgia Pittwood1,
  • Kyara De Oliveira Taborda1,2,
  • Sofia Koletsi1,2,
  • Anthony HV Schapira1,2
  • 1Department of Clinical and Movement Neurosciences, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK;
  • 2Aligning Science Across Parkinson's (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network, Chevy Chase, MD, 20815
Sofia Koletsi
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DOI: dx.doi.org/10.17504/protocols.io.q26g7moz9gwz/v1
Protocol Citation: Elisa Menozzi, Roxana Mezabrovschi, Aleesa Nazeer, Amelia Anderson, Georgia Pittwood, Kyara De Oliveira Taborda, Sofia Koletsi, Anthony HV Schapira 2025. Sebum Collection Protocol. protocols.io https://dx.doi.org/10.17504/protocols.io.q26g7moz9gwz/v1
License: This is an open access protocol distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License,  which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited
Protocol status: Working
We use this protocol and it's working
Created: February 17, 2025
Last Modified: February 24, 2025
Protocol Integer ID: 123279
Keywords: ASAPCRN
Funders Acknowledgements:
Aligning Science Across Parkinson's
Grant ID: ASAP-000420
Abstract
This protocol details the collection of sebum.
Guidelines
Sampling pack



Sampling Precautions:

  • Please do not bathe in the 24 hours before sebum collection; it is best to do the collection in the morning after waking up.
  • Do not apply any products to the skin before sampling, such as creams, powders, or deodorant.
  • The person taking the samples should wear gloves at all times during sampling.
  • Do not let the gauze swab or Q-tip swab touch any surfaces other than the sampling locations on the skin.
  • The pack of gauze contains 5 individual swabs; please ensure you only take a single swab from the pack each time you sample with gauze (i.e., only 2 swabs out of 5 will be used in total).
  • Carefully place the swabbed samples in the sample bag or plastic holder and seal each bag before removing gloves.

Materials
Materials List:

Sampling pack
  • Gloves
  • 2 Q-Tip swabs
  • 1 pack of gauze swabs
  • 2 plastic biohazard sample bags
  • 2 plastic small sample bags
Safety warnings
The protocol needs prior approval by the users' Institutional Review Board (IRB), Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) or equivalent ethics committee(s) as applicable.
Before start
The protocol needs prior approval by the users' Institutional Review Board (IRB), Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) or equivalent ethics committee(s) as applicable.
Gauze Swabs Sampling
Gauze Swabs Sampling
Put on sterile gloves.
Take out one individual gauze swab from the pack. Do not unfold it.





Pinch the gauze swab between your four fingers and thumb.



Firmly wipe the gauze across the skin in the sampling area highlighted A. Wipe 3-5 times.



Place the gauze in the plastic sample bag and seal firmly.



Repeat this process with a second gauze swab in the area labelled B and place in the second small plastic sample bag.
Q-Tip Swabs Sampling
Q-Tip Swabs Sampling



Twist the top of the Q-Tip to break the seal. Remove the Q-Tip from the holder and hold at the plastic.



Firmly rub and rotate the Q-Tip across the skin in the sampling area shown as C. Rotate the Q-Tip to ensure an even coating.



Place the Q-Tip back into the holder and twist to seal the lid. Place the Q-Tip in a plastic biohazard bag.
Repeat this process with the second Q-Tip swab in the sampling area shown as D and place in the second biohazard bag.
Storing Sebum Samples
Storing Sebum Samples
Samples are labelled and stored in a Temperature-80 °C freezer.

Temperature