NCI Publishes Updated Best Practices for Biospecimens

Data Reproducibility Depends on Attention to Biospecimen Procedures

Biospecimens such as tumor tissue and blood are essential to the research that drives cancer precision medicine. Variability in the procedures for biospecimen collection, processing, and storage across research and medical institutions can significantly affect the reproducibility of data derived from the use of biospecimens in research.

The overall goal of the NCI Best Practices for Biospecimen Resources is to improve the quality and availability of biospecimens for cancer research.

Governance, Operational and Technical Principles Guide Biospecimen Practices

The recently released 4th edition of the NCI Best Practices for Biospecimen Resources (NCI Best Practices) and Appendices provides updated information that reflects evolving biospecimen practices and growth in the biospecimen science literature. The NCI Best Practices outline governance principles for biospecimen resources, including ethical, legal, and policy considerations, as well as operational and technical best practices.

Investigators’ Efforts Are Crucial

The NCI Best Practices are based on extensive research and community input. Investigators play an essential role in the efforts to optimize the reproducibility of biospecimen research through their own biospecimen science investigations and by aligning their processes with the principles outlined in the NCI Best Practices.