Biologic Specimen Management Core

护士健康研究(NHS)和NHSII(在项目3中使用)是对大约238,000名妇女进行的前瞻性队列研究。这些研究的一个独特方面是收集生物标本，这些标本可以通过检查遗传和表观遗传变异、循环生物标记物和肿瘤组织标记物来进一步阐明疾病的分子机制。我们收集了60,000多名妇女的血液样本，近50,000名妇女的尿液，60,000多名未采集血液样本的妇女的颊细胞DNA，以及数千块肿瘤组织块。这些样本是有价值但有限的资源，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、道德和最新水平的方式试验新的分析方法。 生物标本管理核心(核心C)的目的是收集、存储、处理和分发NHS/NHSII中女性的生物标本，以更好地了解癌症的病因。具体地说，我们的目标是通过NHS Biomarker实验室和资料库为乳腺癌、结直肠癌和卵巢癌的嵌套病例对照研究提供生物样本，包括血浆、尿液、黄褐色外套、红细胞和颊细胞DNA。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光密度测量，并收集和处理相关的 通过NHS组织和乳房X光照相库获得样本。为了支持这些资料库，我们将维护和改进一个总体项目管理和样品跟踪实验室信息管理系统(LIMS)。这一核心的中心活动包括收集新样本、处理样本、管理和维护相关的生物储存库，以及准备用于化验的样本。重要的是，核心对所有新的化验进行试点研究，以确保在发送参与者样本进行分析之前具有高度的重复性；质量控制程序还允许在分析参与者样本的同时实时跟踪化验质量。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.