Work

National Cancer Institute Biospecimen Evidence-Based Practices: Harmonizing Procedures for Nucleic Acid Extraction from Formalin-Fixed, Paraffin-Embedded Tissue

Year: 2018

Type: article

Abstract: Variable and suboptimal biospecimen handling practices have been identified as impediments to biomarker discovery, including predictive biomarkers for oncology indicating a clear and present need for evidence-based, standardized practices. The United States and international efforts have been launched to better understand andmitigate variability during the preanalytical phase and decrease associated effects by promoting harmonization of procedures both within and across institutions. The Biorepositories and Biospecimen Research Branch (BBRB) of the United States National Cancer Institute (NCI) publishes best practice documents aimed at improving the quality of data generated from human biospecimens (https://biospecimens.cancer.gov/bestpractices/overview.asp) and sponsors research initiatives (https://biospecimens.cancer.gov/programs/default.asp) and the Biospecimen Research Database (BRD; http://biospecimens.cancer.gov/brd) to better understand thresholds and effects of individual preanalytical factors in biospecimen handling. The BRD allows users to query both a curated literature repository and standard operating procedure (SOP) library for a specific preservative, diagnosis, analyte, or preanalytical factor. The BRD incorporates information from international efforts, including those by the International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories (ISBER) and the European Union-sponsored SPIDIA program (standardization and improvement of generic preanalytical tools and procedures for in vitro diagnostics; www.spidia.eu), among others.

Source: Biopreservation and Biobanking

DOI: 10.1089/bio.2018.0046