Breast and Colon Cancer Family Registries

For Research Collaborators: Biospecimens

• Colon-specific biospecimen information

The Breast and Colon Cancer Family Registries (CFR) collect biospecimens from registry participants and provide access to collaborative scientists for research purposes. These biospecimens are a precious resource and applications for their use are examined by the BC-CFR. Potential collaborators of the BC-CFR are asked to consider this when requesting quantities and types of biospecimens.

The following types of biospecimens are available from all sites (pending approval):

• Lymphocyte DNA, participants affected and unaffected with cancer
• DNA from established cell lines from probands affected and unaffected with cancer
• Cell lines established, probands affected and unaffected with cancer
• Plasma, participants affected and unaffected with cancer
• DNA, tumor tissue and normal tissue
• Tissue, tumor and normal
• Granulocytes, participants affected and unaffected with cancer
• Blood spots on Guthrie cards from affected and unaffected with cancer
• Slides from paraffin blocks
• Sections from paraffin blocks

The following types are available from selected sites (pending approval):

• DNA from buccal swabs/swish
• DNA from granulocytes
• DNA from Guthrie spots (Australia B-CFR only)
• Urine specimen (New York Center B-CFR only)

The CFR biospecimen repository policies and procedures were evaluated by The RAND Corporation and were included in a best practices review. Case Studies of Existing Human Tissue Repositories "Best Practices" for a Biospecimen Resource for the Genomic and Proteomic Era Elisa Eiseman, Gabrielle Bloom, Jennifer Brower, Noreen Clancy and Stuart Olmsted

For more information on acquiring biospecimens once the application is approved, please see the Biospecimen Costs (PDF) and Material Transfer Agreement (PDF) forms.