Through the generosity of our blood and tissue donors, the Biorepository and Specimen Resource Core provides ethically collected and curated biospecimens to companies specializing in biomedicine, life sciences, and medical drugs and devices. We also support academic and clinical researchers located throughout the country, and even worldwide.

We customize biospecimens to support projects that will:

• Advance the medical community’s understanding of disease and prevention
• Transform health care delivery
• Develop novel medical and diagnostic products
• Discover new or more effective treatments

All our biospecimens are collected from people who give consent to use their biospecimens for research. We never pressure patients to donate biospecimens.

We provide the biospecimens you need

Fresh and archived tissue

We work closely with surgeons, operating room teams and pathologists to collect fresh tissue. The tissue may be diseased tissue, such as cancer tissue, or discarded healthy tissue not needed for clinical purposes.

We also have access to formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue because of our partnership with our pathology team. This tissue is stored in solid blocks preserved by chemicals.

Blood products

When we draw blood from a consented patient for testing, the unused portion is often stored in our biorepository to use for research and product development. We collect:

• Blood
• Plasma (the liquid part of whole blood)
• Serum (blood without white and red blood cells and clotting agents)

We also store blood specimens for future use in special vials in ultra-cold freezers.

Special requests

If a researcher or company needs blood from a person with a specific condition, we ask people with the condition if they would like to participate in the research project by donating a specimen. When researchers need other types of biological materials, like cardiovascular tissue, urine or saliva, our experts will locate and approach people within our health care system who are willing to provide biospecimens for research.

We help you start your research quickly

To make the operation quicker and more efficient, we use a centralized process to approve projects and obtain biospecimens from our hospitals and clinics. This centralized process means researchers don’t have to approach and apply to numerous hospitals or clinics to obtain the biospecimens they need.

Other advantages of working with the Biorepository and Specimen Resource Core include:

• Diverse population: Advocate Aurora is one of the Midwest’s largest health care systems. Our enormous and diverse pool of potential donors ensures that we are likely to find enough consenting donors to fit your research or product development criteria.
• Quick implementation: Our team will work with you and our Institutional Review Board (IRB) to assess the need for project-specific IRB approval. Conveniently, the Biorepository and Specimen Resource Core has existing protocols allowing for the efficient collection, storage and distribution of certain biospecimens. Our Biospecimen Utilization and Project Review Committee will review the collection and provision of biospecimens based on the information you include in your request. The committee consists of compliance, ethics, business, medical, scientific and patient representatives.
• Automated selection: The Biorepository and Specimen Resource Core uses robotic technology and proprietary algorithms to efficiently locate the specimens you need. For example, if your research project requires samples of blood from males between the ages of 50 and 60 who have experienced a heart attack, we can find appropriate remnant specimens and retrieve them seamlessly.
• Customized collection: We will identify and approach patients that meet your criteria. If they agree to provide specimens for research or product development, we will obtain the required consent and collect the biospecimens according to your research requirements.
• Donor consent: We only collect biospecimens from people who give consent to use their biological materials for research or product development. We never pressure patients to participate.
• Privacy protection: Every biospecimen has its own coded identification number. We keep these numbers separate from donors’ names and other personal details. Researchers and sponsors have no way to access that information. Staff specially trained to protect donor privacy act as “honest brokers.” They’re the only people who can access the donor’s identity. They can disclose appropriate medical information, like medical conditions or treatments, from electronic health records to the team requesting biospecimens without providing information about the donor’s identity.

Request biospecimens

To request biospecimens, please follow these steps:

1. Download the biospecimen request form [PDF].
2. Complete the biospecimen request form. Contact the Biorepository and Specimen Resource Core to discuss any questions you may have. 
3. Email the completed form to the Biorepository and Specimen Resource Core team, which will review your request and provide a preliminary quote based on the information provided.

Upon acceptance, we’ll share your request with the Biospecimen Utilization and Project Review Committee for review. If the committee approves the request, we will work with you to establish a Material Transfer Agreement that ensures patient privacy among other terms and conditions.

For research or product development that includes external researchers or companies, please contact us.