The Biospecimen Research Database

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Welcome to the Biospecimen Research Database (BRD)!

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

Evaluation of Transport Media and Specimen Transport Conditions for the Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Using Real Time Reverse Transcription PCR.

Author(s): Rogers AA, Baumann RE, Borillo GA, Kagan RM, Batterman HJ, Galdzicka M, Marlowe EM

Publication: J Clin Microbiol, 2020, Vol. , Page

PubMed

1 study(s)

The purpose of this study was to assess the stability of SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA for up to 14 d at ambient, refrigerated, and frozen temperatures in nasopharyngeal/oropharyngeal specimens stored in different transport media, and in bronchoalveolar lavage, and sputum specimens. A high titer SARS-CoV-2 positive specimen was spiked into corresponding pooled SARS-CoV-2 negative specimens to produce an estimated viral load of 1,500 copies/mL. SARs-Cov-2 spiked aliquots were subjected to different storage temperatures and tested for viral RNA multiple times during the 14 days of storage. Viral SARS-CoV-2 RNA stability was also assessed in nasopharyngeal/oropharyngeal swab specimens stored in different transport media (VCM, UTM-RT, ESwab, M4 media, and 0.9% NaCl saline). Molecular testing was conducted with the QDID SARS-CoV-2 RNA, Qualitative Real-Time RT-PCR EUA assay. A Ct value <40 for both targets was considered SARS-CoV-2 positive (a Ct value of <40 for only one target was considered inconclusive), and stability was defined as a Ct value within 3 cycles of the control analyzed immediately (0 d of storage). Spiked nasopharyngeal/oropharyngeal swab specimens (diluted to generate a Ct value of 28) stored in saline at ambient, refrigerated, or frozen temperatures over the time course were analyzed at a second site using both the Quest and Roche Cobas SARS-CoV-2 EUA assays.
Biospecimens
- Cell - Nasopharynx
- Fluid - Bronchial Lavage
- Cell - Sputum
- Fluid - Sputum
- Fluid - Nasopharynx
Platform:

Technology Platform Analyte

Real-time qRT-PCR RNA