Key points
- Mesothelioma is a type of cancer linked to asbestos exposure.
- NIOSH provides funding for the National Mesothelioma Virtual Bank (NMVB) for Translational Research.
- NMVB collects tissue samples, demographic data, and clinical data from consented patients and shares it with the research community.
Overview
Mesothelioma is a cancer of the membrane in the lining of the chest or abdomen. It is almost always directly linked to asbestos exposure. Outcomes for those diagnosed with this type of cancer are dismal.
Progress in translational and clinical research depends on the ability of researchers to access high-quality tissue associated with meaningful annotation. Low-incidence rates and court litigation issues have limited the number of mesothelioma cases available for banking or tissue collection and storage. To help address this, NIOSH provides funding for the National Mesothelioma Virtual Bank (NMVB) for Translational Research. NMVB serves as a resource for researchers and the clinical science community to advance biomedical research for malignant mesothelioma. Developed in 2006, the NMVB is led by the University of Pittsburgh.
Activities and impact
The NMVB continues advancing biomedical research for malignant mesothelioma by expanding the collection of biospecimens, related data, and other information. The NMVB collects and distributes tumor tissue and blood samples to the research community from consented patients. It stores the biomaterials with de-identified clinical data and makes them available for research.
In addition to clinical data, the NMVB provides associated demographic data such as age, sex, race and occupational history. It provides a library of information on substances, chemical compounds, and other data related to mesothelioma for investigators.
Participating institutions in this virtual registry and tissue bank share independent collections of tissues and relevant information with the research community. Each participating institution is responsible for entering data and updates into the registry for their samples. However, each uses common data elements and state-of-the-art security for protection of sensitive or personally identifiable data, as appropriate.
Investigators can search the NMVB study database to identify and request data and biospecimens. It provides convenient query access to the data repository.
The NMVB's work supports research that addresses the complex mechanisms and biological changes associated with mesothelioma and its disease progression. The NMVB may ultimately help improve the quality of life of current and former workers who have malignant mesothelioma.