National Health System Support Services
Tumour Bank
How to Obtain Tissue Through the BTN
Requests for tissue
Any Spanish cancer research team will be able to request tissue from the Tissue Bank Network. In order to do so research groups must send a report surrounding the particular project to the TBN Central Office, outlining the funding sources behind the project, along with a completed tissue request questionnaire, please refer to annexe 2 The estimated cost of the project must include costs of the using the TBN facilities, as per the costing outlined below. The request for resources may be sent at any time of the year, since there are no predetermined dates or deadlines.
An anonymous assessment mechanism will be employed to guarantee the scientific and technical viability of all projects, except those that previously been awarded with positive assessment from the Spanish National Evaluation Agency (ANEP).
Limited access to a particular tissue type due to the scarcity of samples will result in prioritising access according to the following criteria:
- Absolute priority will be afforded to projects whose principal researcher belongs to one of the Associated Centres of the TNB, to other institutions with special agreements concerning the exchange of samples, and to the CNIO’s researchers.
- Projects favourably assessed by the ANEP will be considered as a priority
The provision of tissue samples to cooperative multinational projects will depend upon the participation of Spanish research groups.
When a request for availability is sent to the TBN with the aim of obtaining funding from a particular research agency, the CNIO will issue a report vouching for such availability, though tissue will only be provided once the project has been officially approved.
TBN services will only be provided further to the acceptance of the principal scientist in writing of the ethical, commercial, functional and authoritative aspects as defined by the TBN. The principal researcher thus accepts responsibility for the care of tissue and the return of any surplus.
Functional aspects
Once the participation of the TBN has been definitively approved it will be the responsibility of the central office to find sufficient cases in the central database that share the planned characteristics of the project and to send them to the research team.
If these characteristics differ from those considered as standard, either with respect to the tissue type or fixation and/or processing conditions, the central office of the TBN will inform the Associated Hospitals of the initiation of this new project, encouraging the collection of samples with the appropriate characteristics.
Aside from exceptional cases (fresh material, etc.) the material will never be sent directly to the actual research scientists, thus respecting the confidentiality of sample identity. Once sample collection is complete, the names of the Associated Centres involved will be announced so that they will then be cited in related papers.
When fresh material is required it will be sent directly from the Hospital and notification will be sent to the Central Office once the tissue has been despatched.
The standard protocol contains no provision for the diagnostic revision of the tissue provided. In the instance that research scientists receiving samples require diagnostic reassessment or unification of the diagnostic aspects, they must contact a team of pathologists who will be willing to collaborate. The TBN Central Office resources may assist with this, if necessary. All revisions will be carried out on anonymous samples, with no reference to the particular patient or to the Hospital from where the samples originated.
As far as possible, all samples used in a project will remain marked in the central database for a period of time to be established by consensus. This encourages the production of new sections in cases where research needs to be broadened.
Tumour Bank Network: Rates
Each case will assume a total payment of 15 Euros for the handling and transportation of samples
The rate for the tissue does not translate in any way to commercial use
it is simply to contribute to the cost of handling and shipping. When non-standard procedures are required, charges must be established beforehand, and will be borne entirely by the project.
These charges will be paid before the tissue is sent
