The Children?s Oncology Group (COG) is the pediatric clinical trials group of the National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN). Over 90% of United States and Canadian children and adolescents with cancer are treated at COG institutions with no racial, ethnic or geographic bias to registration, allowing for near- population-based clinical, translational and basic research. COG has established a strong track record of collecting and banking tumor and non-diseased biospecimens from patients enrolled in COG-sponsored clinical trials, most of which include randomized treatment questions. The COG Biospecimen Bank (COG Biobank), located within the Biopathology Center (part of the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children?s Hospital), aims to provide high-quality pediatric and adolescent human malignant biospecimens to the research community. Upon review and approval, biospecimens are prioritized for distribution to the COG investigators defined in the clinical trial protocols. After the needs of the planned research have been addressed, residual (legacy) banked biospecimens can be distributed to other investigators within and outside COG via the NCTN Navigator The COG Group and Biobank Concierges can also facilitate access to COG legacy biospecimens that are not currently uploaded in Navigator. For all biospecimen distribution projects, a feasibility assessment by the COG Biobank and the COG Statistical and Data Management Center (SDMC) is completed prior to proposal submission. This proposal supports the collection, processing, and distribution of biospecimens from patient enrolled on COG-sponsored trials. The Pediatric Division of the Cooperative Human Tissue Network (CHTN) then facilitates the distribution of the approved legacy biospecimens. The COG Biobank seeks to directly promote and support outstanding research in the diagnosis and treatment of pediatric cancer through centralized collection, quality control, storage, and distribution procedures. The COG Biobank will continue efforts to provide the latest biorepository-based technological innovations and best practices, resulting in constant improvements in our operational capabilities, investigator access to biospecimens, investigator satisfaction, and the stewardship of these precious resources. Under proper regulatory guidelines and in association with the COG SDMC, the COG Biobank will support translational aspects of cutting-edge research by ensuring appropriate tracking of biospecimens as well as linkage to existing demographic, clinical, biological, treatment, and outcome data. Finally, the COG Biobank will provide investigators with a comprehensive database solution and dynamic informatics tools that facilitate pediatric cancer research. The COG Biobank also plans to support the processing, banking, and distribution of biospecimens to the Cancer Immune Monitoring and Analysis Centers (CIMACs).
Cure rates for pediatric cancer have improved significantly over the past 30 years due to the enrollment of nearly all affected children in the United States on Children's Oncology Group (COG) clinical trials, and the research completed using biospecimens banked from these studies. The COG Biospecimen Bank aims to support additional pediatric and adolescent cancer research by collecting, processing, and distributing high quality biospecimens.
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