Human Biospecimen Resources

• NCI Cooperative Human Tissue Network (CHTN)
  The CHTN is a resource that provides human malignant, benign, diseased, and normal biospecimens to the scientific community for research purposes. The CHTN is a prospective human biospecimen procurement resource funded by the NCI since 1987. These samples are available in a variety of preservation methods including fresh, frozen, paraffin embedded blocks, or histological slides.
• NCI National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN) Biospecimen Banks
  The purpose of the NCTN Banks resource is to maintain a publicly available supply of quality NCI Clinical Trials human biospecimens and to provide fair and open access to qualified investigators in the research community.
• NCTN Navigator
  The NCTN Navigator is a publicly searchable database of specimens from completed NCTN Phase 3 clinical trials.
• NCI Specimen Resource Locator (SRL)
  The SRL is a biospecimen resource database designed to help researchers locate samples needed for investigational use. This publicly searchable database includes information about biospecimen banks and sample procurement services. The specimens and samples come from non-commercial, either NCI or non-NCI-funded resources. The searchable database allows access to thousands of specimens of various tumor, organ, and preservation methods.
• Additional NCI Biospecimen Resources
  • Biospecimen Research Database (BRD)
    The BRD is a free and publicly accessible database that contains peer-reviewed primary and review articles and SOPs in the field of human Biospecimen Science.
  • Genome Tissue Expression (GTEx) Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
    SOPs for various biobanking practices are available for public use and guidance.
  • NCI Best Practices for Biospecimen Resources
    The NCI Best Practices outline the operational, technical, ethical, legal, and policy best practices for NCI-supported biospecimen resources.