The usefulness of basic science advances to cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment outcomesmay be limited if it is not linked to epidemiological as well as clinical characteristics of study participants. Thegoal of the Data Bank and BioRepository (DBBR) Resource is to meet the scientific needs of CCSG Programmembers for studies of cancer etiology, detection, treatment and prognosis, by providing detailed data onparticipants, including exposure, medical, dietary and lifestyle histories, matched with biologic specimens.This new Resource was established with the Institute and CCSG Developmental funds. It is anticipated thatthe number of members from all CCSG programs using the Resource will increase as its holdings expand.Samples include aliquots of plasma, serum, red blood cells and DNA extracts that are collected, processedand stored in a rigorous manner and linked with clinical patient information. Cancer patients, as well as thoseat high risk of cancer, are consented by DBBR staff to provide a blood specimen to be used for futureresearch, to complete an in-depth epidemiological questionnaire and to allow linkage with data from theirmedical records as well as any results from studies performed using their archived tissue. Cancer-free familymembers, friends and visitors of patients also are invited to participate to serve as 'controls' and areconsented in a similar fashion. Standardized procedures are in place for eligible participant identification,consenting and collection of biospecimens, and enrollment is conducted through clinics for most cancersites. To ensure quality, specimens are immediately processed, stored in 0.5ml aliquots and stored in liquidnitrogen, to maintain collection-to-freeze time standards to minimize sample degradation. Detailedannotation and tracking procedures are in place. Cell viability analyses are conducted in collaboration withthe Flow and Image Cytometry Resource. DNA extraction is performed by the Microarray and GenomicsResource. Quality of clinical, epidemiological, and specimen tracking and inventory is managed throughhighly relational, password-protected databases and customized software. Samples and data are availablethrough a chargeback mechanism to CCSG Program members and include those from patients diagnosedwith breast, lung, GYN, GU, Gl, head and neck, melanoma, soft tissue sarcoma, lymphoma, neurologicalcancers as well as bone marrow transplant patients. This Resource is unique for translational researchbecause it provides high-quality epidemiological data linked to rigorously processed biospecimens that arecharacterized by pathological and clinical information; thereby, actively facilitating studies of cancer risk,progression and outcome in an environment that ensures confidentiality. The Resource is used by all sixCCSG Programs and 99% of users are CCSG members. $77,818 in CCSG support is requested,representing 18% of the total operating budget.
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