Biospecimens in Cancer Research and Precision Medicine

Your donated biospecimens are an integral part of Cancer Research!

A new approach to therapy and medicine, termed precision medicine, is increasingly being used to better inform strategies for improved health outcomes on a more individual basis. This approach involves the use and study of donated biospecimens.

Biospecimens contain an extraordinary amount of biological information written in the language of cells, genes and proteins. They provide important insights into individual variabilities that might influence health.

Researchers are especially in need of biospecimen donations from traditionally underrepresented communities!

Learn more about biospecimen donation, precision medicine, and the Precision Medicine Initiative - All of Us Research Program.

NCI is leading numerous studies that use donated biospecimens to help accelerate our understanding of how to better patients with cancer.

• Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) Project
• NCI Molecular Analysis for Therapy Choice (NCI-MATCH) Trial
• The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA)
• The NCI Clinical Proteomic Technologies Initiative
• COMmunication and Education in Tumor profiling (COMET)

Did you know?
The Biorepositories and Biospecimen Research Branch (BBRB) of NCI's Cancer Diagnosis Program (CDP) provides leadership, tools, resources, and policies in biobanking for the global biomedical research community to enable translational research and precision medicine for patients.

BBRB develops biorepository standards and facilitates biospecimen science studies that form the basis of evidence-based practices. These guide clinical cancer research and other biomedical studies which utilize biospecimens.

To find out more, visit our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)