NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Global BioClinical said on Tuesday that the National Cancer Institute has awarded it a contract to set up and manage a research biospecimen collection network of cancer treatment centers in support of the Cancer Genome Atlas project.
The centers established by Global BioClinical will enroll patients who have been diagnosed with various cancers and who are scheduled for surgical treatment. Participants will donate biospecimens, such as pre-surgical blood samples and resected surplus surgical tissues. The specimens along with de-identified medical and pathological information will then go to TCGA-affiliated laboratories for analysis.
Collected biospecimens must meet certain criteria so that extracted DNA and RNA can be used for advanced genomic analysis and sequencing technologies, Global BioClinical said. TCGA aims to examine up to 500 biospecimens for each tumor type to produce a comprehensive genomic profile for every cancer type and data that can be used to identify the best targets for the development of new cancer therapeutics.
Global BioClinical did not disclose the terms of its contract. Based in Seattle, the firm provides contract consulting and CRO services. It said it has expertise in organizational and project management, clinical trial planning and execution, and human biospecimens.