As medicine evolves, researchers are identifying an increasing number of molecular analytes that characterize both healthy and medical conditions. Careful identification of the presence and levels of such biomarkers can be crucial in diagnostic and treatment decisions. However, mounting evidence indicates that numerous factors in the handling of biospecimens can affect the detection of molecular analytes in downstream analyses. Although the specific mission of a biospecimen resource will define its collection and processing procedures, common principles apply to all biospecimen types. The technical and operational information provided in this section is based on current, published information including regulations, guidelines, and best practices documents established in order to promote biospecimen consistency and quality. They are intended to optimize access to such biospecimens and their associated data.
Notably, the field of biospecimen science and the accompanying published literature has grown significantly since the first edition of the NCI Best Practices was published in 2007. The current edition includes extensive updates on biospecimen collection, processing, storage, retrieval, and distribution, along with updated content on biospecimen evidence-based best practices, with supporting references.
This section of the Best Practices contains the following topics:
- Biospecimen Resource Management and Operations
- Biospecimen Collection, Processing, Storage, Retrieval, and Dissemination
- Quality Management
- Biosafety
- Collecting and Managing Clinical and Epidemiological Data
- Biospecimen Resource Informatics: Data Management and Inventory Control and Tracking