Services

The Institutional Tissue Bank (ITB) at MD Anderson provides assistance with the collection and processing of tissue and blood, fine needle aspirate (FNA), bone marrow aspirate (BMA) and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).

ITB collects samples from:

• Operation rooms (Alkek and Mays buildings)
• Interventional radiation units (Alkek and Mays buildings)
• Various MD Anderson clinics
• Endoscopic units
• Procedure rooms
• Other locations required by specific protocol

Collected samples can be processed in:

• Fresh in media
• Snap Frozen in liquid nitrogen
• Frozen at optimum cutting temperature (OCT)
• Fixed in formalin
• Preserved in RNA-Later solution
• Sterile tissue harvest and processing for cell line development, Patient derived xenograft (PDX), vaccine generation and more
• Other processing required by a specific protocol

Detailed Sample Tracking in the MD Anderson Biospecimen Information Management System (BIMS)
Our tracking system gives researchers full visibility on every aspect of a sample’s life, from accessioning to long-term storage or usage. BIMS provides inventory, reporting and audit capabilities on samples with a complete record created in this data base.

Storage of Processed Specimens
All specimens are stored in a secured, monitored facility. ITB provides short- and long-term storage for samples at room temperature, 4°C,-20°C, -80°C or vapor-phase liquid nitrogen freezer.

Retrospective Tissue Distribution
ITB stores thousands of frozen and formalin-fixed samples covering broad variety of cancers types Archive samples and associated data can be requested by the investigators of MD Anderson research protocols and used for scientific projects.

Biospecimen Shipping Assistance
Packing and shipping of biological materials are performed in a way that minimizes the environmental impact on them, in accordance with protocol requirements (with usage of gel packs, dry ice and liquid nitrogen).

Pathologist Slide Review
Histological slide review provides comprehensive analysis, as well as quality assurance of the research samples collected for specific protocol. Currently, histopathological tissue analysis of particular sample by a pathologist represents the only definitive method to confirm of presence or absence of disease, disease grading and assessment of the disease progression.

ITB uses start-of-the art equipment. View our list of current equipment.

MD Anderson researchers may request our services through MD Anderson Biospecimen Information Management System (BIMS).