The Biospecimen Research Database
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
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The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of freeze-thaw cycling and refrigerated versus frozen storage of blood in PAXgene tubes on the miRNA profile. The authors also investigated the effect of NGS preprocessing method on the miRNA profile. Blood was collected from three healthy individuals into five PAXgene tubes and stored at -80°C for 4 days with no freeze/thaw cycling, a freeze/thaw cycle on day 1, a freeze/thaw cycle on days 1 and 2, or a freeze/thaw cycle on days 1, 2, and 3. The final tube was stored at 8°C for the full 4 days. Blood was collected from a fourth healthy individual into five tubes stored at -80°C and used for comparisons between NGS preprocessing methods. miRNA was isolated from all specimens using the PAXgene Blood miRNA Kit. NGS libraries were constructed using the Illumina TruSeq small RNA Library Prep Kit and sequenced using an Illumina HiSeq2500. The authors state two different preprocessing methods were used but details were not provided.
Biospecimens
- Fluid - Blood
Platform:
Technology Platform Analyte Next generation sequencing RNA
News and Announcements
ISBER 2020 Electronic Posters Now Available!
CLICK HERE to view the ISBER 2020 electronic poster on the BRD.
View other's electronic posters on the ISBER 2020 main page HERE.
SOPs Related to SARS-CoV2 (COVID19)
A new compendium of SOPs related to the collection and testing for the novel 2019 coronavirus (SARS-CoV2, COVID19) is now available: https://brd.nci.nih.gov/brd/sop-compendium/show/1361.
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