The Biospecimen Research Database
Welcome to the Biospecimen Research Database (BRD)!
Article Curations on COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2
SOPs on COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2
The BRD is a free and publicly accessible database that contains peer-reviewed primary and review articles as well as SOPs in the field of human Biospecimen Science.
Each literature curation has been created by a Ph.D.-level scientist to capture the following: (1) relevant parameters that include the biospecimen investigated (type and location, patient diagnosis), preservation method, analyte(s) of interest and technology platform(s) used for analysis; (2) the pre-analytical factors investigated, including those relating to pre-acquisition, acquisition, preservation, processing, storage, and analysis; and (3) an original summary of relevant results. Browse literature curations or submit specific queries using the Advanced Search page with keyword search for specific biomakers or genes, PubMed ID, or pre-analytical factor values (anticoagulant, fixative, reagent, etc).
SOPs are organized in a hierarchy system consisting of two tiers: (1) SOPs, established protocols; and (2) Biospecimen Evidence-based Practices (BEBP), procedural guidelines developed using literature evidence. SOP-tiered documents are a product of the Source organization specified. SOPs shared by external organizations are done so only with their consent, and have not been vetted by BBRB. SOP documents are searchable by keyword, or by curated fields (source organization, tier, applicable biospecimens, and topic) on the Search SOPs page. Related SOP documents are assembled in Compendiums, which are viewable on the SOP Compendiums page. You can also create your own Compendium and download SOPs together rather than individually.
We encourage you to submit SOPs from your lab or institution for inclusion in the BRD by clicking on the Submit an SOP tab or at biospecimens@mail.nih.gov. Individuals and organizations that suggest articles for inclusion in the BRD will receive acknowledgement on the paper's curation page. Articles may be submitted by clicking on the Suggest a New Paper tab or via the email above. Feedback is also welcome.
The BRD is an initiative of the NCI Biorepositories and Biospecimen Research Branch (BBRB).
Featured Paper
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This paper evaluated the potential effects of postmortem interval (PMI), rapidity of death (modified Hardy Score), and tissue type on the tissue and RNA quality markers, autolysis score and RNA integrity number (RIN), respectively, in specimens that appeared normal upon autopsy collected as part of the Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) Project. Postmortem interval (the time between donor death and tissue preservation) and modified Hardy Score (a measure of the rapidity of death, 0=mechanical ventilation, 1= <10 min, 2= <1 h, 3= 1-24 h, 4= >24 h) were recorded for each donor. Two blocks of tissue were collected from up to 40 tissue types from each of 956 eligible GTEx Project donors (641 males, 315 females; age: 21-70 y; body mass index: 18.5-35). One block was PAXgene-fixed and paraffin-embedded (PFPE) and used for histologic assessment to determine autolysis score (0=none, 1=slight, 2=moderate, 3=severe) by project pathologists and the other was fixed in PAXgene fixative and stored at -80°C until RNA extraction using Qiagen’s PreAnalytix PAXgene Tissue RNA/miRNA Kit for RNA quantification by Nanodrop spectrophotometer and RNA integrity by RIN using a bioanalyzer.
Biospecimens
- Tissue - Pancreas
- Tissue - Nerve
- Tissue - Muscle (Skeletal)
- Tissue - Adipose
- Tissue - Adrenal Gland
- Tissue - Aorta
- Tissue - Bladder
- Tissue - Brain
- Tissue - Breast
- Tissue - Cervix
- Tissue - Colorectal
- Tissue - Esophagus
- Tissue - Fallopian Tube
- Tissue - Heart
- Tissue - Ovary
- Tissue - Salivary Gland
- Tissue - Lung
- Tissue - Liver
- Tissue - Kidney
- Tissue - Skin
- Tissue - Small Bowel
- Tissue - Uterus
- Tissue - Thyroid Gland
- Tissue - Testis
- Tissue - Stomach
- Tissue - Spleen
- Tissue - Vagina
Platform:
Technology Platform Analyte H-and-E microscopy Morphology Automated electrophoresis/Bioanalyzer RNA
News and Announcements
New Articles on the GTEx Project are Now FREELY Available!
Two new articles from NIH’s Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) Project reporting notable histologic findings and postmortem effects on quality markers were just published and are freely available.
Just Published!
A new paper from BBRB reporting notable histologic findings in GTEx tissues was just released online in Archives of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. View it HERE.
More...