ABRC signs deal for virtual tissue bank

February 25, 2009

By hammersmith

[Source: Ken Altucker, The Arizona Republic] – A Reston, Va.-based software company has struck a deal with the Arizona Biomedical Research Commission to develop a Web-based tissue bank that will allow scientists greater access to tissue samples to study such diseases as cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer’s.

The software system, to be hosted by 5AM Solutions, will provide researchers virtual access to tissue samples collected from Arizona hospitals and research institutions. Scientists then will be able to request actual tissue samples that meet their research needs.

David Landrith, chairman of the Arizona biomedical commission, said the tissue bank will give researchers access to a large collection of tissue data that can advance their research needs. He said the project will benefit Arizonans and others through new health discoveries.

The Web-based repository will not store the actual tissue samples, but it will include information about disease and other characteristics of the tissue donor. However, the tissue donor’s identity will remain private.

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