Skip to main content
An official website of the United States government
Government Funding Lapse
Because of a lapse in government funding, the information on this website may not be up to date, transactions submitted via the website may not be processed, and the agency may not be able to respond to inquiries until appropriations are enacted.

The NIH Clinical Center (the research hospital of NIH) is open. For more details about its operating status, please visit cc.nih.gov.

Updates regarding government operating status and resumption of normal operations can be found at opm.gov.

Email

Donating Your Biospecimens

Donating Biospecimens 

How can patients help? 

Hear stories from patients and researchers about how donated biospecimens advance medical research by viewing our video or reading our patient education booklet. 

Habla Español? Aprenda mas sobre el cancer y cómo contribuir a la investigación médica con su donación de sangre y otros tejidos aquí. 

Consider donating a biospecimen 

As a patient scheduled for a biopsy, surgery or blood draw, you may be asked before the procedure if you would consider donating a biospecimen for research. Donating your biospecimens is entirely voluntary. There will be no impact on the surgical procedure itself. 

Learn more about the lifecycle of biospecimens.

How is my privacy protected after donation? 

Federal guidelines put a high priority on protecting the privacy of personal and medical information. Click here to find out more. 

Share your thoughts 

This website provides updates and resources about biorepositories and the use of biospecimens for research. Please contact biospecimens@mail.nih.gov with any comments or questions. 

Spread the word 

Tell others about what you've learned about donating biospecimens. 

Stay informed! Follow us on Connect with us on LinkedIn! Linkedin

  • Updated:

If you would like to reproduce some or all of this content, see Reuse of NCI Information for guidance about copyright and permissions. In the case of permitted digital reproduction, please credit the National Cancer Institute as the source and link to the original NCI product using the original product's title; e.g., “Donating Your Biospecimens was originally published by the National Cancer Institute.”

Email