Gundersen Cancer Biobank

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INTRODUCTION 

The Gundersen Cancer Biobank was formed in 2008. Our biorepository contains more than 100,000 tissue and biofluid specimens donated by  cancer patients at the Gundersen Health System to support research into the causes, diagnosis and cure of cancer. The biobank has been continuously accredited by the College of American Pathologists since 2015.

These deidentified specimens are studied in the cancer research laboratories of the Gundersen Medical Foundation and made available to collaborators around the world. If you need cancer specimens for your study, please reach out to Biobank Director, Dr. Paraic Kenny, at biobank@gundersenhealth.org and our team will be happy to work with you.  

Formalin-Fixed Paraffin Embedded Tissue

FFPE tissue forms the bulk of our biorepository collection. We have been prospectively banking FFPE tumor and adacent-normal specimens from consented cancer patients since 2017. In addition, we have a large 20+ year old collection that was acquired via an IRB-approved consent waiver for specimens which exceed institutional specimen retention policies.

Flash - Frozen Cancer Specimens

We have tumor and adjacent-normal tissue fragments that were flash-frozen in liquid nitrogen within minutes of surgical resection.

 

Serum & Plasma

Banked serum (SST tube) and double-spun plasma are available, typically paired with either FFPE or flash frozen tissue specimens.    

PBMCs/Buffy Coats & Whole Blood   

Collected primarily to provide a matched source of germline genomic DNA, these specimens are cryopreserved under conditions that should also allow recovery of live cells.         

Digital Pathology Images

H&E images from selected specimens can be viewed on our digital pathology page.     

Deidentified Data

Patient privacy is our paramount concern. Our specimens are all deidentified but are well-annotated with non-identifying elements from patient records. We can also provide redacted pathology reports describing clinical specimens, as well as data on both somatic and germline genetic alterations.