SPECIMEN ACCESSIONING

Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore MD

Investigators

Linked publications, trials & patents

Abstract

The Specimen Accessioning Core (SAC) provides a centralized resource for the collection and processing of blood, bone marrow, and tumor cell samples from patients with malignancies as well as samples from normal volunteer donors. This Core was initially established in order to facilitate and support the ongoing laboratory and clinical research within the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins (SKCCC). In addition, the SAC provides rigorous quality assurance and quality control for the processing and storage of clinical samples. Thus, the specific aims of this Core are to: 1) Centralize accessioning of patient specimens, 2) Process patient specimens and tissue samples utilizing good laboratory practices (GLP) procedures, 3) Store specimens in a well-controlled and monitored environment in order to ensure sample integrity, 4) Fairly and equitably distribute accessioned samples to investigators with IRB-approved research questions. 5) Maintain a secure relational data base that includes detailed information on the handling and processing of the samples along with pertinent clinical and demographic data that correlate to the specimen. 6) Provide expertise and support to investigators in the planning of sample collection for the development of correlative biologic tests for clinical trials and for pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic analysis and, 7) Provide a mechanism to ensure that informed consent is provided and subjects are maximally protected when volunteering to donate tissues for ongoing and future research by maintaining an active IRB-approved clinical trial (currently RPN#00-01-27-09, Tissue and Cell Procurement Protocol) that identified the research nature of the bank and assures HIPAA-compliances. Lay: The Specimen Accessioning Core laboratory processes samples including blood, urine and bone marrow from patients treated with a variety of new anti cancer drugs in order to test the samples for the effectiveness of these new anti-cancer drugs and to determine how these drugs are metabolized by the patients. The Specimen Accessioning Core laboratory also processes and banks a variety of tumors from patients with hematologic (blood) cancers and makes the cancer cells available to investigators within the cancer center for study in the laboratory.