In-depth with BC²
Giving donors a look inside the biobank's commitment to transforming samples into impactful cancer research
Welcome!
The Biospecimen Collection and Banking Core (BC²) at the Indiana University Simon Cancer Center is a cancer-specific biobank whose mission is to provide tissues and biological samples to researchers who are furthering our understanding of cancer and how to treat it.
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This site is designed specifically to help individuals who have agreed to donate tissue and other biological samples to BC². You can use the buttons below to explore:
Learn more about biobanking and BC²
What is a biobank?
A biobank, or biorepository, is an important resource for medical research. Essentially, it is a collection of both biological samples (e.g., blood, urine, saliva, or leftover tissue) and health information pulled from medical records, such as past surgeries, medications, and specific medical conditions. These biological samples and data come from biobank donors: individuals who have agreed to participate in the biobank by providing them with a biological sample and access to their medical records. The fundamental purpose of a biobank is to provide researchers with de-identified biological samples and data. These samples are often stored in specialized freezers for long-term use, meaning materials requested by researchers could have been collected recently or many years prior.
The BC² Biobank
The BC² Biobank was created in 2021 to help researchers who are conducting cancer-specific studies. The biobank helps these researchers by providing them with samples that have been collected from individuals who were seen at the Simon Cancer Center or other IU Health-affiliated cancer facilities. Individuals who provide samples to the biobank are called donors or participants. These individuals are first approached by a member of the BC² Biobank team who explained the biobank to them and answered any questions that they might have had. Participation in the BC² is voluntary, and all donors must sign an informed consent document indicating that they agree to participate in the biobank. After a donor agrees to participate, their biological samples will be collected during routine clinical care. These samples could include bodily fluid such as blood or urine, specialized cells such as bone marrow, or even leftover tissue from a biopsy or other surgery.
The BC² Biobank and You
We recently began sending messages to BC² donors. If you received our message, you have agreed at some point in the past to participate in the BC² Biobank. This means that samples have been collected from you and are currently stored at the biobank. These samples are available for researchers to request and then use in their cancer-specific studies. As was mentioned above, it’s likely that a member of the BC² team discussed the biobank with you after an appointment with your doctor. It’s also possible that a BC² team member contacted you by phone and discussed the biobank with you prior to a surgery. After the discussion, you would have then signed a document indicating that you agree to participate in the biobank.