Canadian Tumour Repository Network

Introduction

The Canadian Tumour Repository Network (CTRNet – www.ctrnet.ca) is an association of leading Canadian tumor banks, funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research—Institute of Cancer Research, that aims to improve and enhance translational cancer research by linking cancer researchers with a network of participating provincial tumor banks.

The following profiles of participating CTRNet provincial biobanks are diverse in their origins, maturity and models and so one of the achievements of the CTRNet initiative has been to harmonize and create a functional network from preexisting biobanks.

CTRNet has created policies and standard operating procedures for tumor biobanks. It has also developed mechanisms to standardize and harmonize biospecimen collection and annotation, in addition to establishing an active web-based portal (www.ctrnet.ca) to facilitate researcher access to biospecimens.

CTRNet has also developed and implemented an open source software program called the Advanced Tissue Information Management (ATiM) system. Core modules include clinical annotation, consent tracking, inventory and storage management, and administrative tools. It is also designed to facilitate cross linkage to donor consent, secure access and auditable tracking and to enable the collection of performance metrics.

The CTRNet banks collectively hold materials from more than 62,000 cases. The scale and importance of CTRNet is reflected in the fact that, over the past year, member banks have provided tumor materials and other biological samples to research projects that have aggregate funding of approximately $130 million.

In addition to expanding the scope and size of the collections, future plans for CTRNet include: developing a certification process for biobanks, supported by education and training modules; development of a Biospecimen Research Platform; facilitation of large scale collections through coordination of purpose-designed prospective collections; and continuation of maintenance, review, revision and deployment of standard operating procedures (SOPs) including development of new SOPs and policies as innovative methodologies in biobanking may require.

We will continue to promote the use of CTRNet resources in a variety of ways to address different issues and audiences, including building collaborations with research agencies and large scale programs where there may be benefit to all association participants.

Further details regarding CTRNet can be found at our website (www.ctrnet.ca).

—Peter Watson

Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation-Alberta/NWT Chapter, Alberta Research Tumor Bank (ARTB)

Location: Edmonton, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Contact information:

Web: http://www.abtumorbank.com/

Date of operations: (date of formal start of current bank operation): January, 2001

Date range of cases (date of first and last case accrued): 2001—present

Category of biobank: Basic research tumor bank

Primary research focus of biobank (Basic, Translational, Epidemiological, or Clinical): Basic; Translational

Membership of biobanks (networks, affiliations): BTD, CTRNet (www.ctrnet.ca)

Major source of funding for biobank: Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation Alberta/NWT Chapter, Alberta Cancer Foundation

Proportional funding sources for biobank:

Public targeted donation/foundation: 95%

Example input statistics:

Overall response to consent (Yes/No/Unknown %): >97%/3%

Example output statistics:

Approximate number of studies supported last year: 11

In your view, what are the most valuable/high priority cases in your biobank?

Our largest collections are in breast, colon, ovarian and lung cancer. Our major strength is that our two centers in Calgary and Edmonton are the only two tertiary cancer centers in Alberta, therefore, the vast majority of patients are seen in these two centers. This means that we are able to collect extensive clinical data from the patient's paper and electronic chart with little difficulty.

What are your major challenges?

1) Ensuring continued financial support for the bank.

What would you do with $1 million to improve the value of your biobank?

If we were given continuously $1 million per year we would employ more pathology assistants. We use pathology assistants in our major teaching hospitals to collect the tissues and consent the patients. Also, as our bank continues to grow, freezer space becomes increasingly scarce. We would undoubtedly use additional funds to buy liquid nitrogen tanks and freezers.

BC Cancer Agency Tumor Tissue Repository

Location: Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Contact information:

Web: www.bccancer.bc.ca

Date of operations: (date of formal start of current bank operation): 2004

Date range of cases (date of first and last case accrued): 2004 — present

Category of biobank: Basic research tumor bank

Primary research focus of biobank (Basic, Translational, Epidemiological, or Clinical): Basic; Translational

Membership of biobanks (networks, affiliations):

CTRNet (www.ctrnet.ca),

Major source of funding for biobank: BC Cancer Foundation

Proportional funding sources for biobank:

Institution core budget: 0%

Example input statistics:

Overall response to consent (Yes/No/Unknown %): 93%/1%/6%

Example output statistics:

Approximate number of studies supported last year: 11

In your view, what are the most valuable/high priority cases in your biobank?

The priority tumor type categories are: breast, ovarian and colorectal.

The most valuable cases are those with ‘high biospecimen density,’ e.g. multiple blood samples from pre- and post-operative and post-systemic therapy, multiple tissue biospecimen samples from normal, primary tumor, recurrence and metastatic sites.

What are your major challenges?

The major operational challenge is sustaining active accrual for long enough to enable the assembly of cases with match index and recurrent tumors to facilitate research into tumor evolution through the window of current therapies.

What would you do with $1 million to improve the value of your biobank?

Create a comprehensive system across the region to form a true population-based collection (rather than the current targeted subgroups) of representative post-diagnosis clinical blocks and, where available, fresh frozen biospecimens.

Réseau de Recherche sur le Cancer du FRSQ

Location: Montreal, Sherbrooke and Quebec city, Quebec, Canada

Contact information:

Web: www.rrcancer.ca

Date of operations: (date of formal start of current bank operation): January, 2000

Date range of cases (date of first and last case accrued): 2000–present

Category of biobank: Basic research tumor bank

Primary research focus of biobank (Basic, Translational, Epidemiological, or Clinical): Basic; Translational

Membership of biobanks (networks, affiliations): BTD (www.rrcancer.ca/en/scientifique/axes/visualiser/10); BCLQ (www.bclq.gouv.qc.ca); PROCURE (procure.ca/tiki-index.php?page=Partnerships_and_Alliances); Respiratory Health Network Tissue Bank (swrsr.crc.chus.qc.ca/en/tissue_bank.asp); CTRNet (www.ctrnet.ca)

Major source of funding for biobank: Fonds de la recherche en santé du Québec

Proportional funding sources for biobank:

Public targeted donation/foundation: 25%

Example input statistics:

Overall response to consent (Yes/No/Unknown %): >90%/10%

Example output statistics:

Approximate number of studies supported last year: 26 studies from network members, 15 studies from researchers outside of the network

In your view, what are the most valuable/high priority cases in your biobank?

As several of our tissues have been used in multiple research programs, the amount of associated experimental data, coupled to the clinical data, makes these samples among our most precious and informative. In addition, cases with long follow up (>5 years) and cases covering rarer tumor types are also highly valuable assets.

What are your major challenges:

1) Ensuring the long term viability of the bank, specifically ensuring a stable funding

What would you do with $1 million to improve the value of your biobank?

If the $1 million was recurrent, we would use it to better staff the tumor banks. In particular, for the clinical data clinical archivist familiar with electronic data capture and tumor registries would be highly valuable.

For tissue processing, dedicated staff within the pathology department would ensure prompt and optimal tissue procurement. This in turn would let us diversify the tumor types presently being banked.

If non-recurrent, ancillary equipment for tissue processing (such as tissue microarray equipment) and image digitalization would be a priority. This bolus of investment could also serve to improve the links between sample tracking, clinical data and experimental data which would facilitate meta-analysis associated with particular samples.

Manitoba Tumour Bank

Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba

Contact information:

Web: www.umanitoba.ca/institutes/manitoba_institute_cell_biology/MBTB/Index4.htm

Date of operations: (date of formal start of current bank operation): 1993

Date range of cases (date of first and last case accrued): 1988 to present

Category of biobank: Basic research biobank

Primary research focus of biobank (Basic, Translational, Epidemiological, or Clinical): Basic; Translational

Membership of biobanks (networks, affiliations): CTRNet

Major source of funding for biobank: CIHR, CancerCare Foundation

Proportional funding sources for biobank:

Institution core budget: 40%

Example input statistics:

Overall response to consent (Yes/No/Unknown %): 93%/2%/5% (breast only)

Example output statistics:

Approximate number of studies supported last year: 11 breast (8 internal, 3 external)

In your view, what are the most valuable/high priority cases in your biobank?

High priority cases in the bank are breast and chronic lymphocytic leukemia cases due to the size and history of clinical data associated with these cases.

What are your major challenges?

As cancer tissue sizes continue to decrease due to early detection programs, the ability to get enough material to conduct high content screening experiments will be a challenge. Balancing the needs for diagnostic testing for pathology and biobanking samples will continue to be a challenge that will only grow in the future as molecular pathology testing becomes more important.

What would you do with $1 million to improve the value of your biobank?

With $1 million, we would improve our database linkages to health information and develop an integrated system to retrieve cancer tissues from multiple hospitals.

NCIC Clinical Trials Group Tumour/Tissue Data Repository

Location: Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada

Contact information:

Web: http://www.ctg.queensu.ca/TissueBank/index.html

Date of operations: (date of formal start of current bank operation): 1997

Date range of cases (date of first and last case accrued): 1997—Present

Category of biobank: Clinical Trials Cooperative Groups Biobank

Primary research focus of biobank (Basic, Translational, Epidemiological, or Clinical): All of the listed categories

Membership of biobanks (networks, affiliations): CTRNet, Cooperative Group Banks

Major source of funding for biobank: CCSRI and Contracts

Proportional funding sources for biobank:

Institution core budget: 20%

Example input statistics:

Overall response to consent (Yes/No/Unknown %): >90% (Yes/No); <10% (Unknown)

Example output statistics:

Approximate # of studies supported last year: 8

In your view, what are the most valuable/high priority cases in your biobank?

The NCIC CTG TTDR is a biorepository that is only associated with samples collected on Phase I, II, and III clinical trials. As such, the value of the banked samples lies with the very rich clinical database associated with these samples and includes extensive demographic and patient characteristics, treatments given, adverse events experienced, multiple outcome measures and in many cases, quality of life data. The value of this biobank is in the potential use for validation studies rather than discovery work although there may be limited circumstances where questions related to discovery may be appropriate. Access to this tissue permits the assessment of prognostic factors in determining the outcome of disease, the assessment of predictive factors to various chemotherapeutic agents and treatment regimens, and facilitates the understanding of the basic biological and genetic mechanisms of cancer.

What are your major challenges?

Major challenges to the success of the NCIC CTG biobank are those which are common to many tissue banks and include: ethical and regulatory concerns over the release of tissue, institutional approaches and attitudes to sending material outside of their local centre, concern over retention of sufficient patient material for future clinical management, escalating costs, pathologists' time, and workload pressures in pathology departments.

Infrastructure and operational support to maintain the day-to-day activities of the biobank are enormous challenges to most biobanking endeavors.

What would you do with $1 million to improve the value of your biobank?

The ability to maximize the potential and enrich the collection of samples would be extraordinarily valuable to a biobank. Characterizing samples by immunohistochemical screens, molecular profiling of samples, and creating a sustainable DNA/RNA bank from the submitted tissue would be of immense value.

Operational and infrastructure support for the banking activities is critical to improving the value of the bank. Investing in and improving quality assurance at the bank is also of high priority. IT support to warehouse data and results as an accessible resource to the research community would impart additional value to the bank.

Ontario Tumour Bank

Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Site location: Central program administration in Toronto, Ontario by the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research. Collection at four hospitals across Ontario: Kingston General Hospital, London Health Sciences Centre, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, The Ottawa Hospital.

Contact information:

Web: www.ontariotumourbank.ca

Date of operations: (date of formal start of current bank operation): 2004

Date range of cases (date of first and last case accrued): 2004 — present

Category of biobank: Basic Research Tumour Bank

Primary research focus of biobank (Basic, Translational, Epidemiological, or Clinical): Basic; Translational

Membership of biobanks (networks, affiliations): ISBER, CTRNet

Major source of funding for biobank: Ontario Institute for Cancer Research

Proportional funding sources for biobank:

Institution core budget: 85% (based on 2009/2010)

Example input statistics:

Overall response to consent (Yes/No/Unknown %): ∼97%–99%/1%

Example output statistics:

Approximate # of studies supported last year: 37

In your view, what are the most valuable/high priority cases in your biobank?

1) Complete cases with matching tumor, normal and blood samples

What are your major challenges?

1) Collection of samples from disease sites that are difficult to bank for various reasons (as above)

What would you do with $1 million to improve the value of your biobank?

1) Expand number of collection sites (participating hospitals)