Joint Tissue Banking Facility at Tianjin, China
The Problem
Many cancer biologists can testify that cancer tissues obtained directly from the patients are the most reliable source for basic cancer research. Once removed from patients during biopsies or surgeries, the cancer tissues can be stored eternally for research purposes. From these tissues, scientists can directly extract unaltered, multi-dimensional information about DNA, RNA, protein, biological pathways, and many other aspects of cancer. Because these data reflect the real living conditions of cancers before they were removed from the patients, they provide critical insights to scientists on cancer biology and save a tremendous amount of time in identifying the most appropriate cancer targets and developing more effective therapeutics.
In order to obtain reliable data from cancer tissue samples, it is essential that each sample is properly labeled, preserved, and catalogued. This information is critical for scientists to select the most appropriate samples for their research, thus is the prerequisite for obtaining reliable research data. To meet the requirements, a well equipped and resourceful tissue bank with a large collection of cancer tissue samples is ideal.
The Solution
In 2004, in partnership with the Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital (IMUCIH), NFCR opened its Joint Tissue Banking Facility in Tianjin, China. This facility is aimed at establishing a large-scale tissue bank as well as a systematic information system, which would promote more collaborative research on cancer genetics, biomarkers, and new drug development.
Cancer causes more than 1.5 million deaths every year in China, a number that is roughly three times that of the United States. This astonishing number underscores the enormous threat cancer poses on the Chinese population. As in the United States, lung cancer kills more people than any other type of cancer in China. Other common cancer types in China include cervical, esophageal, and liver cancers, which are commonly seen in developing countries. In addition, breast, prostate, and colorectal cancers – which are more closely associated with developed countries – are frequently seen in Chinese populations as well. Thus, research results derived from using tissue samples collected in this facility would bring benefits to Chinese patients as well as cancer patients from other countries.
TMUCIH, affiliated with the Tianjin Medical University, is a premier cancer specialty hospital in China with a long history of providing high quality cancer prevention, treatment, and research. More than 200,000 cancer patients visit TMUCIH and over 9,000 receive surgery every year, providing abundant cancer tissue samples for the tissue bank. In addition, TMUCIH has established strong clinical and research programs in many fields including oncological surgery, cancer prevention, pathology, and epidemiology, ensuring quick assembly of clinical data for each sample.
For the past three years, the Joint Tissue Banking Facility has systematically accumulated and catalogued over 11,000 tissue samples from patients with breast, lung, colon, liver, skin, and other types of cancer. In addition, data covering the pathological characterization, clinical treatment, and disease outcomes of the cancer patients have been integrated into the system in a confidential manner, providing researchers vital information in sample selections and data analysis. A steering committee of leading scientists from renowned universities and research hospitals in the United States and China ensures that the tissue bank operates in total compliance with the Institutional Review Board (IRB) regulations and institutional policies.
The Research
The Joint Tissue Banking Facility will provide invaluable cancer samples together with their comprehensive clinical information to scientists within and outside of NFCR’s worldwide network of scientists. Since the establishment of the facility, NFCR has initiated several new research projects using samples collected in the tissue bank, including cancer genomic studies and tissue microarrays.
A new joint project for breast cancer research is also planned and will start once funding is in place. The collaborative research effort on breast cancer and other types of cancer in the future will lead to improved cancer classification, personalized therapy regimen, early diagnostic tests, and more effective cancer therapies. NFCR’s effort in establishing the Joint Tissue Banking Facility fosters more research breakthroughs and could benefit millions of cancer patients around the world.