In-depth with BC²
Giving donors a look inside the biobank's commitment to transforming samples into impactful cancer research
Research Projects Using BC² Samples
The purpose of the BC² is to provide high quality samples and data to medical researchers and is intended to serve primarily as a resource for researchers at the Indiana University School of Medicine. Because of this, a majority of the research projects that utilize BC² samples are affiliated with the IU School of Medicine. ​However, the biobank also provides samples to researchers at laboratories affiliated with other universities and pharmaceutical companies across the United States.​​ Below, you will discover some of the ways that BC² samples have been used in furthering cancer research.
Neurological Cancers​​​​​
Breast Cancer
Lung Cancer
Gastrointestinal Cancer
Genitourinary Cancer
Breast cancer is the most common cancer affecting woman in the United States. Researchers at Loyola University in Chicago are using blood samples from BC2 donors with breast cancer to study DKK1, a protein that is thought to play a role in breast tumor growth. By utilizing BC2 samples, the researchers hope to learn more about how DKK1 contributes to tumor growth which could guide the development of new, more effective breast cancer treatments.
Children with neurological cancers often face debilitating sleep disturbances and chronic fatigue. Unfortunately, these concerns often persist even after these children enter remission, which can lead to a poor post-treatment quality of life. Previous studies have shown that these cancers might affect a child’s developing immune system and cause it to behave abnormally. Pediatric oncologists at the IU School of Medicine are using BC2 blood samples to begin exploring the link between childhood neurological cancers and the development of certain immune system abnormalities. If a link is discovered between these cancers and immune abnormalities, it could mean that children with neurological cancers might benefit from the therapies that already exist to treat immune system abnormalities. This could lead to an improved overall post-treatment quality of life in children with neurological cancers.
Estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer is the most common form of breast cancer, accounting for almost 80% of cases. Researchers at the Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center are using over 600 BC2 breast tumor samples to investigate the potential link between a gene called TONSL and a form of estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer called SNF3. This research could eventually help identify which patients might benefit from treatments that specifically target the TONSL gene.
Natural killer cells are the body’s first line of defense against lung cancer cells. These cells are capable of directly kill cancer cells, which helps to prevent tumor growth. Certain drugs called immunotherapies utilize these cells by stimulating their activity, causing them to attack cancer cells at a faster pace. Many scientists believe that having a better understanding of natural killer cells could lead to new and more effective immunotherapy treatments. Researchers at Purdue University are using BC2 blood and lung cancer tissue samples to study how natural killer cells interact with and kill tumor cells. The data from this study could be used to create therapies that do a better job at stimulating these cells.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. Scientists now suspect that two proteins may be responsible for accelerating lung tumor growth, but so far this hypothesis has only been tested in mice. A research team at the IU School of Medicine is using lung cancer tumor tissue from BC2 to study whether these two proteins play a role in tumor growth in the human body. If these researchers do find that these two proteins contribute to tumor growth, more targeted therapies could be developed that might help to slow the progression of certain types of lung cancers.
BRAF-Mutated colon cancer is an aggressive and difficult to treat cancer due to its resistance to standard chemotherapy regimens. Some research suggests that there may be a link between BRAF-mutated colon cancer and certain cells that produce substances that protect the colon and allow it to function properly. Researchers at the IU School of Medicine-Bloomington Campus are further investigating this link to discover if the same substances the normally protect the colon might also contribute to the rapid spread of BRAF-Mutated colon cancers. This research could potentially lead to therapies that specifically target certain colon cells, which could then lead to slower progression of the disease.
Some people may have certain genetic variations that affect how their bodies break down fat, which raises their risk for developing nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. While researchers know that fatty liver disease is the most common cause of liver cancer, there are some questions around whether the genetic variations that lead to fatty liver disease also play a role in the development and growth of liver cancer. A research team of medical geneticists at the IU School of Medicine and the University of Arizona hope to answer this question. Using frozen tissue provided by BC2, this team will analyze the genetic profile of liver cells to uncover how certain genes might raise one’s risk for developing liver cancer. This data can then be used to better assess a person’s genetic risk for developing the disease and potentially develop novel treatments.
Although bladder cancer is highly treatable when discovered at an early stage, detection of the disease can be challenging. Currently, the only reliable way to discover the disease is through an uncomfortable procedure called a cystoscopy. Researchers at life science companies that focus on the early detection of cancer have utilized BC2 urine samples to help develop and ensure the accuracy of a urine test that can detect certain biomarkers linked to bladder cancer. The hope is that this test can eventually detect bladder cancer early without the need for repeated, uncomfortable cystoscopy.
Testicular seminoma is a common and slow-growing cancer that typically affects young and middle-aged men. The cancer is highly curable, but finding the cancer at its earliest stages can help prevent the need for more intensive treatments, such as chemotherapy. However, since the cancer grows at such a slow rate, early tumors are difficult to detect during routine physical examinations. Using blood samples and tumor tissue stored at BC2, researchers at the Emory School of Medicine are researching and developing a blood test that while hopefully be able to detect testicular cancer at its earliest stages.
Early detection of ovarian cancer is challenging. This unfortunately means that when the cancer is discovered, it has already spread to other organ systems. A team of scientists at the IU School of Medicine is using BC2 samples to research ways to detect ovarian cancers earlier. By analyzing the blood and tumor tissue of donors with ovarian cancer, the team hopes to see if a certain biomarker called Tu-Stroma can be used to detect cancers at earlier stages, which might lead to new and more effective detection methods for the disease.
Blood Cancer
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a fast-growing type of blood cancer that affects a person’s bone marrow. Early research suggests that certain genetic mutations may make some forms of AML more responsive to a specific type of targeted treatments. Using BC2 tissue samples, a research team at the IU School of Medicine is investigating whether genetic testing can be used to determine what treatments might be most effective for individuals with AML. This research may help in developing genetic tests that can be used to guide treatment options.
Other Cancer-Related Research
Previous research has shown that a protein called ADAM-8 may play a role in rapid and aggressive tumor growth. This has lead research teams at pharmaceutical companies across the U.S. to become interested in better understand if and how ADAM-8 is expressed by aggressive cancers. One of these teams is utilizing BC2 samples to discover if donors with certain aggressive cancers have tumors that over-express the ADAM-8 protein. This information could lead to the development of tests that can better assess if patients might benefit from therapies that specifically target the protein, potentially improving outcomes for individuals with certain aggressive cancers.
Chronic wasting syndrome is a serious cancer-related condition that causes extreme weight and muscle loss. Despite this syndrome being quite common, there are no effective treatments for the syndrome. This is due in large part to the fact that there is minimal understanding of what exactly causes the syndrome. Building on previous research that has found that the syndrome is more common in patients whose cancer has spread to their bones, researchers at the IU School of Medicine are using BC2 samples discover how certain proteins play a role in causing or making the syndrome worse. By looking at donor samples whose cancer spread to their bones and comparing them with donor samples of those without bone involvement, the team hopes to determine if a certain protein might be responsible for causing the syndrome. This research could eventually lead to treatment pathways that target particular proteins, potentially slowing the pace of the syndrome.
Don't see your cancer?
Since its founding in 2021, the biobank has supported nearly 100 cancer-related research studies, only a few of which have been highlighted on this page. If you don't see your cancer listed here, it doesn't mean that it isn't being researched.
Samples are stored at the biobank so that they can be used by researchers many years from now. So, even if a particular cancer isn’t being studied now, that research can still take place in the future. This is what makes the biobank such a valuable resource.
Want to see more studies? Click the button below to explore a list of publications associated with the biobank.​