Overview

NCI research initiatives in cancer genomics, epigenomics, proteomics, and nanotechnology depend on the development of new sources of high-quality human biospecimens and the identification of appropriate biospecimens in existing resources. Human biospecimens are essential resources to accelerate the development of molecular-based diagnostics and therapeutics for personalized medicine. High-quality, clinically annotated human biospecimens are essential resources for the research needed to:

• Identify and validate targets for detection, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of cancer;
• Elucidate disease mechanisms;
• Develop a molecular-based taxonomy of cancer;
• Develop screening tests for specific cancers based on molecular biomarkers
• Define molecular biomarkers that predict treatment responsiveness; and
• Develop robust technologies that translate research findings to clinical practice.

Information gathered by the NCI has identified significant heterogeneity in the methods used to collect, process, store, and disseminate biospecimens. This heterogeneity may affect the outcomes of molecular research initiatives across the cancer research enterprise. The OBBR works with research programs across the NCI to improve biospecimen resources and to establish new high-quality resources. These research programs include large-scale genomic and proteomic studies that require sufficient numbers of quality-controlled biospecimens to enable reproducible, statistically significant comparisons of control and research subject samples:

• The Cancer Genome Atlas [TCGA], which focuses on the analysis of DNA and RNA from tumor and patient-matched normal cells
• The Clinical Proteomic Technology Assessment for Cancer [CPTAC] project, which addresses the need for reproducibility in technologies for analyzing cancer-relevant proteins and/or peptides in serum and plasma.

The OBBR assists with biospecimen issues challenging other key initiatives such as the NCI Community Cancer Centers Program (NCCCP), the Innovative Molecular Analysis Technologies Program (IMAT), and the Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer, as well as extramural discovery-based and translational research programs across the NCI divisions.