About Us
Since the early 1960’s, the Developmental Therapeutics Program (DTP), Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis (DCTD), National Cancer Institute (NCI), has maintained a low temperature repository of implantable in vivo-derived tumors and in vitro-established tumor cell lines from various species. The Repository is managed by the Biological Testing Branch (BTB) and located at the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research in Frederick, Maryland. Many of the materials are not available elsewhere. These materials are either of guinea pig, hamster, human, mouse, rabbit, or rat origin, and have a wide variety of tumor histologies. The Repository also houses Tissue Array Research Program (TARP) microarray slides prepared from tumor cells or tissues, non-viable pellets prepared from the NCI-60 cell lines, canine specimen (paraffin blocks, tissue slides, flash frozen tissue, blood, etc.) from both normal tissues and tumors, and yeast samples that were previously screened against the NCI-60 Anti-Cancer Cell Line Panel. Several mouse leukemia lines in the collection are resistant to single drugs of varying modes of action. These experimental materials are available to qualified investigators as a service to the research community.
Available Materials
Materials (Non-Canine)
Canine Specimen (Domestic Dog)
Approximately 16,000 canine specimens, received from the Canine Comparative Oncology and Genomics Consortium (CCOGC) biospecimen repository, are housed in the DCTD Tumor Repository and available for distribution. All samples were collected prior to treatment at eight Veterinary Teaching Hospitals from approximately 2000 canine cancer patients. These biospecimens include representative samples from seven major naturally occurring primary canine cancers.
- Histology:
- Osteosarcoma
- Melanoma
- Lymphoma
- Soft tissue sarcoma
- Hemangiosarcoma
- Mast cell tumor
- Pulmonary
- Specimen Types:
- Tumor: flash frozen, FFPE, OCT
- Normal tissue: flash frozen, FFPE, OCT
- Serum, plasma, whole blood, PAXgene RNA, urine
Publications
Mazcko, C., & Thomas, R. (2015). The Establishment of the Pfizer-Canine Comparative Oncology and Genomics Consortium Biospecimen Repository. Veterinary sciences, 2(3), 127–130. https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci2030127
Thomas, R., Simpson, M., Mochizuki, H., Williams, C., Poorman, K., Kennedy, K., Mazcko, C., Modiano, J.F., & Breen, M. (2013, November 5-8). Quality control and quality assurance of canine biological specimens available through the Pfizer-CCOGC, Inc. National Biorepository for Comparative Oncology Studies [Abstract]. Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference: The Translational Impact of Model Organisms in Cancer, San Diego, CA: AACR; Mol Cancer Res 2014;12(11 Suppl):Abstract nr A51. https://doi.org/10.1158/1557-3125.MODORG-A51
For a comprehensive list of available canine samples and/or more information about the samples including patient demographics, treatment information, follow up and pathology reports contact the DCTD Tumor Repository.
How to Request Materials
The NCI DCTD Tumor Repository contracts Charles River Labs (CRL) to ship research materials and Leidos Biomedical Research (LBR) to collect the associated Partial Cost Recovery (PCR) fee. Throughout the request process the requestor should expect to encounter and/or address all three entities depending on the paperwork being submitted or information being requested. For the NCI to continue to make these resources available, the number of vials per requestor must be restricted. Therefore, repeated requests or requests for multiple vials of the same material are not typically honored.
Requestors needing to transfer previously acquired Repository materials to a new “Recipient Institution” or “Recipient Investigator” should complete the Institution Transfer MTA or the Institution Transfer Same Recipient Investigator MTA, found in the Transfer Agreements section below.
Requestors needing to renew MTAs for previously acquired Repository materials should complete the MTA (Type A), found in the Transfer Agreements section below.
Commercial institutions requesting licensable materials should contact the DCTD Tumor Repository for more information.
NCI requestors should complete the NCI Request Form, found in the Forms section below.
Academic/nonprofit requestors, non-NCI U.S. government requestors, and commercial entities requesting non-licensable materials to be transferred directly from the DCTD Tumor Repository should follow the steps below.
Material Transfer Agreement- An MTA is required to obtain most materials from the DCTD Tumor Repository, as it governs the transfer of material from the NCI DCTD Tumor Repository to the “Recipient Institution” as well the use of the materials. All Repository materials are provided “as is” and can be used for research purposes only. All research materials requested should be submitted on one MTA. If modifications to the terms of the appropriate MTA template are required, please redline the changes, and submit it as a Microsoft Word document. All modified MTAs must go through our Technology Transfer Center (TTC) for review and approval.
General Shipping Information- The DCTD Tumor Repository ONLY ships domestically via FedEx (https://www.fedex.com/en-us/home.html) and internationally via World Courier. The starting cost to ship via World Courier is approximately $2000-3000 (USD). This estimate does not include fees for a dry ice shipper (GDI), temperature monitor, dry ice replenishment, VAT/tax, etc. For a more accurate quote, please contact the World Courier division in your country directly (www.worldcourier.com/contact-us-home/locations).
Partial Cost Recovery (PCR) Fee- Wire transfer, ACH and paper checks are all acceptable methods of remittance for domestic requests. Wire transfer is the only acceptable method of remittance for international requests. CREDIT CARDS ARE NO LONGER ACCEPTED. All fees are waived for U.S. government requests.
Material Fees (Excluding Shipping)- Below is the Partial Cost Recovery fee for material from the DCTD Tumor Repository obtained via an MTA.
Cell Lines, Tumor Fragments, Brei, or Ascites |
Academia & Non-Profits |
Commercial |
Each Cryopreserved vial | $150.00 | $300.00 |
NCI-60 Anti-Cancer Cell Line Panel * | $8,850.00 (59 Cell Lines) | $12,900.00 (43 Cell Lines) |
Canine Sample (Domestic Requestors Only) | $15.00 | $15.00 |
*The complete NCI-60 Anti-Cancer Cell Line Panel now consists of 59 cell lines. All 59 cell lines are available to academic and non-profit institutions. The 43 non-licensable cell lines are available to commercial entities. KM-12 must be obtained from MD Anderson at researchtools@mdanderson.org.
Transfer Agreements
| Academic/Non-profit Requestors and Commercial Entities Obtaining Non-licensable Materials | |
| Requestor Employing a Contract Research Organization (CRO) | |
| Requestor Transferring Materials to Another Institution | |
| Requestor Obtaining Canine Materials | |
| U.S. Government, NIH, and Leidos Biomedical Research/FNLCR Requestors |
Request Forms
| Domestic Requestor | |
| International Requestor | |
| NCI Requestors (Bethesda, Rockville, and Frederick campuses) | |
| U.S. Government, NIH, and Leidos Biomedical Research/FNLCR Requestors |
Citing the DCTD Tumor Repository
We request that the Repository be cited in publications as the source of any materials provided. We also request that reprints of publications be furnished to the Repository.
Please cite the DCTD Tumor Repository, in a format similar to the following:
The National Cancer Institute, Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis (DCTD) Tumor Repository, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD. URL — https://dctd.cancer.gov/drug-discovery-development/reagents-materials/animal-tumor-models-0.
Also, the name and lot number (i.e. MCF-7: XXXXXXX) of the sample/s received, as well as any modifications made to the original material (e.g., transfection, CRISPR, etc.), should be included in the methods and materials section of the publication.
Contact Us
For sample requests, questions, or comments please e-mail the DCTD Tumor Repository at: DCTDTumorRepository@mail.nih.gov.