Direct experience with high-profile NCI initiatives (e.g., TCGA and the Specialized Programs of Research Excellence) and broader input from the scientific community have indicated a striking, unmet need for high-quality biospecimens. In response to this need, the OBBR is actively planning for the implementation of caHUB, a unique, centralized, public resource, the primary mission of which is to ensure the adequate and continuous supply of high-quality human biospecimens for the research community. Briefly, caHUB will acquire and make available to the research community biospecimens that have been collected according to the highest technical and ethical standards, provide biospecimen reference samples that serve as benchmarks for specimen integrity and molecular type, conduct research that supports evidence-based biospecimen best practices, and create opportunities for collaboration and information exchange across the research enterprise. caHUB will ensure the quality of its inventory by acquiring biospecimens that have been collected and processed according to evidence-based standard operating procedures (SOPs), annotated with comprehensive clinical, molecular, and collection data, and procured from patients who received high-quality care. Subcontracts would be established with military, community, and academic institutions to collect biospecimens and associated data. Through a cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid (caHUB?)-compliant public network, caHUB will make specimens and data available to a broad research community, including academia, government, private foundations, and biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, and enable new collaborations among researchers in all areas of investigation, thereby accelerating the pace of discovery and innovation. In October 2008, NCI requested technical and operational support services for the establishment and subsequent management of thematic working groups (WGs) to develop a strategic plan for caHUB. SAIC-F was requested to form, facilitate and manage six thematic working groups (WGs), critical to develop a comprehensive plan and vision for caHUB. To date, SAIC-F has successfully established the Administration WG (AWG), planned for eight AWG related subgroups, and formed the Acquisition of Normal Tissues WG. Formation of the Informatics WG and planning for a User Group Workshop also are ongoing. Additional WGs and subgroups will be launched in a prioritized, phased manner in the next fiscal year. NCI and the SAIC-F project management team are collaborating in the development of the management strategy for caHUB. OBBR and SAIC-F management and staff, with the assistance of consultants and experts from a variety of disciplines (e.g.., WG members), are responsible for implementing the resource?s strategic plan. To date, six thematic WGs have been identified for the caHUB efforts, some of which have been further divided into additional subgroups.
