Blood Samples

Our Plasma and Blood sample Inventory

• Systemic Autoimmune Condition

  • Lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, diabetes, rosacea, psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, scleroderma, myasthenia gravis, tuberculosis, asthma

• Benign Condition

• Cancer

• CNS Disorders

• Normal Donors

• Pregnant Donors

• Pediatric conditions

Whole Blood Samples

• Blood products are collected from a wide range of clinical conditions.

• can collect up to 40 mL of whole blood per donor.

• All blood products are kept frozen and never allowed to thaw.

• can also provide buffy coat specimens pulled from fractionated blood.

• We can also provide whole blood with matching Fresh Frozen and/or FFPE Tissues.

• Whole blood is not collected for regular storage in our biorepository, but we can easily set up a custom collection to meet our customers’ needs.

• Whole blood can be collected in a variety of test tubes such as:

  • K2- or K3-EDTA tubes

  • SST tubes

  • Sodium (Na) or Lithium (Li) Heparin tubes

  • Sodium (Na) Citrate tubes

  • PAXgene RNA and DNA tubes

  • CPT tubes

serum Samples

• can yield a maximum of ~10-15mL serum per donor per blood draw.

• Serum is usually processed from whole blood within 4 hours after collection

• We can also provide serum with matching Fresh Frozen or FFPE Tissues.

• Standard serum aliquot is 1mL. We do not pool or re-aliquot inventory specimens.

Different aliquot sizes can be collected under a custom collection. 

plasma Samples

• can yield a maximum of ~12-15mL plasma per donor per blood draw.

• Plasma is usually processed from whole blood within 4 hours

• We can also provide plasma with matching Fresh Frozen or FFPE tissues.

• Standard plasma aliquot is 1mL. We do not pool or re-aliquot inventory specimens.

• Different aliquot sizes can be collected under a custom collection.

• Standard anticoagulant is K2-EDTA or K3-EDTA.

• We can prospectively collect plasma with other anticoagulants upon request.

What is a Liquid Biopsy?

Liquid biopsies are tests conducted to study genetic material shed from tumors into the blood and have been shown to correlate highly with traditional biopsies. Recent studies investigating large collections of patient blood have demonstrated that liquid biopsies largely match studies drawn from traditional large tumor profiling. In a recent study of over 400 patients, liquid biopsies found the same set of genetic mutations that tumor biopsy methods found. Additionally, liquid biopsy identified mutations linked to treatment resistance that were not found by traditional methods. While there is still work to be done understanding the role that liquid biopsies may play in patient care, the method is looked at by researchers as a viable alternative to traditional methods when tumor biopsies are not practical or feasible.

Tumor biopsies are an integral part of the cancer treatment process. They play a role in diagnosis, the identification of cancer cell types and determining whether a patient is a candidate for targeted therapies. But problems exist with the traditional methods. Tumor biopsies require invasive procedures like surgeries and sometimes the location of the tumor in the patient makes a tumor biopsy unfeasible. Overcoming these problems as well as having enough material to conduct molecular profiling is a major goal of current research. To this end, scientists have turned to the study of DNA in the blood. Tumor cells release genetic material into the blood and the capture and analysis of this material has given birth to the so called liquid biopsy.

Recent studies have found that liquid biopsies identify similar frequencies and alteration patterns as traditional tumor biopsies. The study looked at DNA shed by cancer cells known as circulating DNA in 15,000 patients with over 50 different kinds of common cancers. Liquid biopsy was highly correlated with traditional methods when researchers compared profiles for mutations and chromosomal rearrangements in circulating DNA. Alterations in genetic material were found with the same frequencies and distribution when liquid biopsy was used and compared to tumor biopsy profiling studies. The same important mutations in cancer-related genes were found by both methods. Moreover, when both blood and tumor samples were available for a smaller set of data, genomic changes were shown to be as highly correlated as 98% when the blood and tumor samples were taken from the patient within a 6 month window.

The liquid biopsy method has also been shown to be quite robust in the face of relevant circulating DNA scarcity in the blood. The new methods perform well despite the fact that the amount of cancerous circulating DNA can be as low as 0.4% of the total circulating DNA present in the sample. Finally, in matched studies where both tumor and blood samples were available, the liquid biopsy method identified genetic changes not present in the tumor biopsies that were known to make the cancers resistant to therapy.

Another exciting result is that in most cases liquid biopsies can identify biomarkers that can aid clinicians in targeting treatments. These patients can then be included in FDA approved research and clinical trials.

Liquid biopsies are a potential source of additional genetic information above traditional tumor-based methods or when tissue biopsies are unavailable. For those with advanced cancers, liquid biopsies can help to target therapies and customize treatment options. In the near future these options might also be available to early stage cancer patients.Liquid biopsies, while under tremendous study and experiencing rapid growth, are still in preliminary stages of development. It is up to researchers to demonstrate their utility when it comes to actual patient care. Still however, these new methods look to add another important tool in the oncologist’s tool kit, one that can help to customize medicine and enhance the patient’s experience.