The Cooperative Human Tissue Network of the National Cancer Institute: Supporting Cancer Research for 35 Years

Shannon J. McCall*, Irina A. Lubensky, Christopher A. Moskaluk, Anil Parwani, Kiley Radin, Nilsa C. Ramirez, Zachery Von Menchhofen, Mary K. Washington, Virginia A. LiVolsi

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The Cooperative Human Tissue Network was created by the NCI in 1987 to support a coordinated national effort to collect and distribute high quality, pathologist-validated human tissues for cancer research. Since then, the network has expanded to provide different types of tissue samples, blood and body fluid samples, immunohistologic and molecular sample preparations, tissue microarrays, and clinical datasets inclusive of biomarkers and molecular testing. From inception through the end of 2021, the network has distributed 1,375,041 biospecimens. It served 889 active investigators in 2021. The network has also taken steps to begin to optimize the representation of diverse communities among the distributed biospecimens. In this article, the authors review the 35-year history of this network, describe changes to the program over the last 15 years, and provide operational and scientific highlights from each of the divisions. Readers will learn how to engage with the network and about the continued evolution of the program for the future.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1182-1190
Number of pages9
JournalMolecular Cancer Therapeutics
Volume22
Issue number10
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Oct 2023
Externally publishedYes

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The Cooperative Human Tissue Network of the National Cancer Institute: Supporting Cancer Research for 35 Years'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this