5 min read

How to Collect and Manage Samples

Samples in Moustra are tissue specimens collected from your animals at takedown. First, in Settings you build a Takedown Schema — a reusable template listing which tissues to take, from which region, in what portion, and how many aliquots. Then, on the Samples page, you run Collect Samples: pick a schema, set a collection date, and choose the animals you are sampling. Moustra creates one sample per animal per tissue. From the sample list you can inline-edit status and tissue, open any sample to edit details or print a tube label, and archive samples you are done with.

Create or confirm a Takedown Schema in Settings
A takedown schema is the template that drives sample collection, so set it up first. Open Settings, then the Takedown Schemas tab (/settings?tab=takedown-schemas). You'll see a list of existing schemas with their Name, Protocol, and Tissues count. Click New schema (top-right) to open the New Takedown Schema form.
Tip
If a schema that matches your takedown plan already exists, skip to Step 3 and just select it during collection.
Name the schema and add tissue rows
Give the schema a Name (required) and optionally attach a Protocol. Under Tissues, each row is one tissue to collect: fill in Tissue Type (required), an optional Anatomic Region, a Portion (Full or Partial), and the number of Aliquots (tubes) to create. Use Add tissue for more rows, then click Save.
Tip
The number of tissue rows determines how many samples each animal generates — a 2-tissue schema produces 2 samples per animal.
Open Samples and start Collect Samples
Open Samples from the Colony menu (/sample). The list has columns Sample ID, Animal Tag, Tissue, Region, Portion, Collection Date, and Status, with a Views filter (Active / Archived / All) at the top. Click Collect samples (top-left) to open the Collect Samples page.
Tip
The Samples item sits alongside Racks and Cages under the Colony menu.
Pick a schema, set the date, and choose animals
On the Collect Samples page, select a Takedown Schema (required). The Collection Date defaults to today (future dates are blocked). In the Animals field, type a tag or ID and pick each animal from the dropdown — selected animals appear as chips. Repeat for every animal you are sampling.
Tip
You can add several animals at once; each one is exploded against every tissue in the schema.
Review the staged samples and Collect
Once you have a schema and at least one animal, the Staged samples card previews exactly what will be created — one row per animal × per tissue, showing Animal Tag, Tissue, Region, Portion, and Aliquots, with a live total in the header. When the preview looks right, click Collect N samples. Moustra creates the samples and returns you to the list.
Tip
Use **Cancel** to discard the staged batch without creating anything.
View, filter, and inline-edit the sample list
Back on /sample, your new samples appear with status collected. Use the Views filter to switch between Active, Archived, and All. Double-click an editable cell to edit it inline: Tissue and Region (free text), Portion (Full / Partial), and Status (Collected, Stored, Processing, or Depleted, each color-coded).
Tip
As samples move through your workflow, bump the **Status** inline — Collected → Stored when banked, Processing while in use, Depleted when used up.
Open a sample to edit details, print a label, or archive it
Click a row to open the sample detail page. The Specimen card holds Tissue, Region, Portion, Portion Detail, and Collection Date; the Aliquots card holds Aliquot Count, Aliquot Quantity, and Status. Click Save changes to persist edits. The sidebar shows a read-only Provenance card (Animal, Study, Takedown Schema, Collected By), a Print label button, and an Archive button. Archiving adds an Archived chip and flips the button to Unarchive; archived samples drop out of the default Active view.
Tip
Archiving is reversible — use it as a "done / retired" state rather than permanent deletion.