Biologic Specimen Management Core

护士健康研究（NHS）以及NHSII（用于项目3）是对约238，000名妇女的前瞻性队列研究。这些研究的一个独特方面是收集生物标本，通过检查遗传和表观遗传变异、循环生物标志物和肿瘤组织标志物，可用于进一步阐明疾病的分子机制。我们已经收集了超过60，000名女性的血液样本，近50，000名女性的尿液样本，超过60，000名没有血液样本的女性的脸颊细胞DNA，以及数千个肿瘤组织块。这些样本是宝贵但有限的资源，因此我们 投入大量精力，确保高质量和高效的标本处理，并以具有成本效益、符合伦理道德和最先进的方式试行新的检测方法。 生物标本管理核心（Core C）的目的是收集、储存、处理和分发NHS/NHSII中妇女的生物标本，以更好地了解癌症的病因。具体来说，我们的目标是提供生物标本，包括血浆，尿液，血沉棕黄层，红细胞和颊细胞DNA，通过NHS生物标志物实验室和储存库进行乳腺癌，结直肠癌和卵巢癌的巢式病例对照研究。此外，我们还将为乳腺癌、结直肠癌和卵巢癌的研究提供肿瘤组织，以及乳腺癌的乳房X线摄影密度测量，并收集和处理相关信息。 通过NHS组织和乳房X光照片储存库。为了支持这些储存库，我们将维护和改进一个全面的项目管理和样本跟踪实验室信息管理系统（LIMS）。该中心的主要活动包括新标本的采集、样本处理、相关生物储存库的管理和维护以及检测用标本的制备。重要的是，该核心对所有新检测进行试点研究，以确保在将参与者样本发送进行分析之前具有高重现性;质量控制程序还允许在参与者样本进行分析时实时跟踪检测质量。值得注意的是，该核心支持当前申请的项目1 - 4中的科学目标。

The Nurses' Health Study (NHS), as well as the NHSII (used in Project 3), are prospective cohort studies of about 238,000 women. A unique aspect of the studies are the collection of biologic specimens that can be used to further elucidate molecular mechanisms of disease through examination of genetic and epigenetic variation, circulating biomarkers, and tumor tissue markers. We have collected blood samples on over 60,000 women, urine for nearly 50,000 women, cheek cell DNA for over 60,000 women without blood samples, and thousands of tumor tissue blocks. These samples are a valuable but finite resource, thus we put substantial effort into ensuring high quality and efficient specimen handling and piloting new assay methodology in a cost-effective, ethical, state of the art manner. The aim of the Biologic Specimen Management Core (Core C) is to collect, store, process, and distribute biological specimens from women in the NHS/NHSII to better understand the etiology of cancer. Specifically, we aim to provide biologic specimens, including plasma, urine, buffy coat, red blood cells, and cheek cell DNA, for nested case-control studies of breast, colorectal, and ovarian cancers through the NHS Biomarker Laboratory and Repository. Further we will provide tumor tissue for studies of breast, colorectal, and ovarian cancer, as well as mammographic density measures for breast cancer, and to collect and process related specimens via the NHS Tissue and Mammogram Repository. To support these repositories we will maintain and improve an over-arching project management and sample tracking laboratory information management system (LIMS). Central activities of this core include collection of new specimens, processing of samples, management and maintenance of related biorepositories, and preparation of specimens for assay. Importantly, the core conducts pilot studies of all new assays to ensure high reproducibility before sending participant specimens for analysis; quality control procedures also allow for real-time tracking of assay quality while participant samples are being analyzed. Notably, this Core supports scientific aims in Projects 1 -4 of the current application.