The Texas Cancer Research Biobank (TCRB) was created to bridge the gap between doctors and scientific researchers to carry out research that will promote successful cancer therapy by providing doctors with the tools they need to tailor therapy to a patient by using information from that patient’s genetic code.
To achieve this goal, the TCRB is collecting cancer and blood specimens, plus data, from participating institutions across Texas and combining the DNA sequences from these samples with clinical histories from patients in order to help cancer researchers perform cutting-edge experiments determining which therapies are best for which patients based upon their genes.
The TCRB benefits the whole community by educating both patient and doctor and empowering them to make science-based treatment decisions.
TCRB Affiliates
The Texas Cancer Research Biobank consists of institutions across Texas, including:
Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) serves as the coordinating center for the TCRB. The BCM team consists of people from the Human Genome Sequencing Center (HGSC), the Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center, and the Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy.
Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) and its affiliates will head efforts to develop standardized protocols and consents for the consortium, will manage the biobank, will perform DNA and RNA sequencing and specimen imaging, will develop software to maintain and share specimen and patient data.
TCRB Sample Sites
The following sample sites will collect specimens and data from participating patients and send them to the central processing, storage and sequencing facilities at BCM.
Ben Taub General Hospital is part of the Harris County Hospital District and provides patients with access to more than 40 medical specialties. Ben Taub has more than 26,000 adult and pediatric admissions and more than 184,000 specialty clinic visits.
Gradalis, Inc.® is a fully integrated biotechnology company based in Dallas, Texas, that focuses on development and manufacturing of drugs, vaccines, tools and diagnostics primarily for cancers.
Mary Crowley Cancer Research Centers is a non-profit organization based in Dallas, Texas, with seven clinical sites whose mission is to expand treatment options for all cancer patients through investigational vaccine, gene, and cellular therapies.
Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center
South Plains Oncology Consortium (SPOC) is a regional consortium devoted to conducting early phase oncology trials and translational cancer research. A major goal of SPOC is to improve access for new anti-cancer drugs to patients in West Texas and the surrounding region.
Texas Cancer Cell Repository (TXCCR) is a CPRIT-funded collaborative project between Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine Cancer Center at Lubbock, Texas and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. TXCCR will develop and bank cell lines and direct-to-mouse xenografts from tumor specimens to enable future biological and preclinical therapeutic studies.
Texas Children’s Hospital® is an internationally recognized full-care pediatric hospital located in the Texas Medical Center in Houston. One of the largest pediatric hospitals in the United States, Texas Children’s Hospital is dedicated to providing the finest possible pediatric patient care, education and research.