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Indivumed GmbH. (2/2/10). "Press Release: Indivumed to Study the Integrity of Biospecimen Sampling Procedures for the U.S. National Cancer Institute. Analysis of Biopsy Sampling Procedures a Prerequisite for the Development of Future Individualized Cance

Region Region Hamburg
  Country Germany
Organisations Organisation SAIC-Frederick Inc.
  Group SAIC (Group)
  Organisation 2 Indivumed GmbH
  Group Indivumed (Group)
Products Product sample preparation (technology)
  Product 2 sample extraction (technology)
Index terms Index term supply (of product/service)
  Index term 2 sample preparation (medical/biological)
Person Person Juhl, Hartmut (Indivumed 200701 CEO + founder)
     
Hamburg-based Indivumed GmbH has been awarded a subcontract by SAIC-Frederick, Inc., under its prime contract with the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI) to assess the impact of sampling procedures on the integrity of cancer biospecimens and key data derived from them.

The NCI's Office of Biorepositories and Biospecimen Research (OBBR) is sponsoring the study to better understand how the integrity of voluntarily donated medical biospecimens-such as blood and biopsy tissue-might be compromised by the way in which they are collected and handled. Surgical and tissue sampling procedures can affect cellular processes in these biospecimens, influencing the results of research on cancer targets and mechanisms. Despite widespread use of cancer biospecimens for research, there are currently no systematic data available assessing the influence of sampling procedures on the molecular processes and compositions of the collected tissue.

Indivumed and its clinical network partners have pioneered standards to enable full control of all steps in tissue collection and clinical data collection, and are thus prepared to study the impact of intra- and post-surgical tissue processing on molecular data.

"We are very proud to have been selected by NCI for this important study," said Prof. Dr. Hartmut Juhl, CEO and founder of Indivumed. "It once again underlines the importance of our approach and the high quality of our biobank and data collection. The study will help researchers in the industry and academia to distinguish molecular changes in tissues that are due to ischemia or surgical procedures from those related specifically to cancer. Our goal is to considerably improve the understanding of cancer as well as the development of molecular tests to diagnose the disease, assess cancer staging and prognosis, and predict potential toxicity of therapeutic treatments."

About the study

Under the study, Indivumed will collect and preserve blood and tissue samples in a standardized manner, including detailed documentation of the surgical procedures. Indivumed will analyze proteins, DNA, and RNA molecules and their expression in tissue in relation to intra- and postsurgical factors. The comprehensive study is based on preliminary data from Indivumed and NCI suggesting that anesthetics and ischemia time (oxygen deprivation from blood clamping) during and after surgery can significantly alter gene expression as well as RNA and protein patterns in the derived tissues. Although cancer biospecimens provide the basis for drug development, it is unclear whether observed changes in cancer tissue are caused by the disease process or by the surgical procedures and subsequent handling of the biopsy samples.

Blood samples, as well as biopsies of normal and tumor tissue from liver and colon or rectum, will be obtained during surgery of colorectal cancer patients with or without liver metastases. The study will be conducted in collaboration with clinical researchers from three Hamburg-based hospitals: Prof. Dr. Bjoern Nashan of University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Prof. Dr. Carsten Zornig of Israelitisches Krankenhaus, and Prof. Dr. Arnulf Dörner of Diakonie-Klinikum Alten Eichen.

The goal of the study is to define molecules that are affected by surgical manipulation. Such molecules, once identified, should be considered when evaluating data for target discovery and drug development. The study also aims to identify biomarkers for biospecimen stability, thus enabling the evaluation of previously collected and banked biospecimens and the potential correction of molecular analysis data derived from those biospecimens.

The project is funded in whole or in part with Federal Funds from the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, under Contract No. HHSN261200800001E. The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of Health and Human Services, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

   
Record changed: 2010-07-21

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