The use of machine-learning-based techniques in drug discovery requires copious amounts of biomedical data. At BioIVT, we have H&E images and associated data from over 30 years of biospecimen and clinical data procurement that are ready to be incorporated into your target discovery and drug development workflows. You can use our specimen database to discover patterns and relationships relevant to both disease etiology and pathology.
Clinical Data from Over 1 Million Biospecimens
BioIVT’s ASTERAND® Human Tissue Repository has serviced the drug discovery and diagnostic industry since 1996 with high-quality, well-characterized human tissue biospecimens and related clinical data. We have procured over 1 million tissues through an unparalleled, worldwide network of over 200 active donor institutions, all using standard protocols and adhering to the highest standards of sample integrity. Our biobank contains hundreds of thousands of specimens from a broad range of therapeutic areas and many ethnicities. Our renowned quality assurance procedures provide stringent controls on specimen collection, characterization and corresponding clinical data.
BioIVT collects every sample under IRB-approved protocols, ensuring that strict ethical guidelines are followed to protect patient confidentiality and safety. The samples are identifiable only by barcodes to ensure anonymity and an unbiased assessment. Each sample has the patient's consent for use in a wide range of research, including the development of commercial products or services. Blinded IRB and informed consent documentation are provided prior to purchase to ensure that all specimens and regulatory documents meet client requirements.
Our repository also features:
- Ongoing procurement of human specimens, with over 200,000 specimens per year obtained to BioIVT’s ASTERAND® Human Tissue standards
- Board-certified pathology review of every block
- Comprehensive clinical data independently reviewed by BioIVT specialists and verified by board-certified pathologists
- Full regulatory approval of all specimens
Board Certification Pathology-Confirmed Diagnosis
We understand that a tissue specimen is only as good as the data associated with it. That’s why the biospecimens and data in BioIVT’s ASTERAND Human Tissue Repository undergo a thorough review by board-certified pathologists and a clinical data team. By confirming the original diagnosis for normal, diseased and tumor tissues, our pathologists ensure that the tissue blocks are representative of the donor’s diagnosis. This is important, because each block prepared from resected tissue may not represent that patient’s diagnosis. Our process ensures that data and images correlate and support machine-learning.
As part of our process:
- Pathological data is classified using ICD codes as appropriate for anatomic site, morphology and behavior with WHO Oncology Classifications for tumor indications
- Data complies with WHO Oncology Classifications for tumor indications
- Clinical data is pathologist-confirmed for completeness and consistency
- All tissue specimens are provided with up to 200 clinical data points and histological information per case
- Quality analysis includes RIN for fresh-frozen specimens
Full-Slide Images Integrate into Machine-Learning–Based Image Analysis
BioIVT integrated Aperio Digital Pathology Slide Scanners into our tissue pathology review process, allowing clients to review full-slide H&E images with exceptional quality, speed and reliability. We have scanned many of our historical cases, and the H&E slide and data associated with each case has been maintained for all procured specimens.
Enhanced Data to Further Your Understanding
Outcome data is an important research and diagnostic tool for studying cancer and other diseases, as it provides elemental indicators for both drug discovery and diagnostic researchers. BioIVT’s standard outcome-collected data aligns with the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Program and our comprehensive, independently reviewed set of over 200 data points includes:
- Clinical donor diagnosis and status
- Co-morbidities and treatments (current and past)
- Medications, AJCC/UICC stage and group independently reviewed by BioIVT
- Cause of death (if available)
BioIVT’s long-standing relationships with our partner sites allow for continued procurement of outcome data from patients who have consented and donated tissues to our ASTERAND Human Tissue Repository.
Mutation analysis is also used as a diagnostic tool for many diseases, including cancer. Diagnostic assays for specific biomarkers for patient stratification are in ever-expanding development. BioIVT supports these efforts through standard mutation analysis for lung, melanoma and colon cancers, as well as custom mutation screenings on tissues and biofluids.
We also use the following methods to provide additional data as needed:
- qRT-PCR is effective for determining the status of various somatic mutations in human tissue samples
- Sanger/Pyrosequencing provides single nucleotide variations within DNA or RNA, or can be used for sequencing gene sections (exons)
- Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) is effective for determining the presence of SNV, CNV or fusions across multiple genes
- Immunohistochemistry (IHC) provides useful information in determining protein overexpression
BioIVT’s ASTERAND Human Tissue Repository is ready to integrate into your research workflows today.