Continuation and Expansion of the National Mesothelioma Virtual Bank for Translational Research (U24)

The National Mesothelioma Virtual Bank for Translational Research (NMVB) was established in 2006 to serve as an exceptional resource for malignant mesothelioma research. The purpose of this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is to continue to advance biomedical research for malignant mesothelioma by expanding the collection of biospecimens, related data, and other information in the NMVB. The NMVB is capable of providing biospecimens (such as fresh frozen tumor and control tissues, paraffin embedded tissues, and blood and DNA samples from mesothelioma patients), together with demographic data (age, sex, race, occupational history and other epidemiologic information), and clinical data (stage, treatment and survival information). Additionally, the virtual registry and tissue bank serves as a virtual repository and offers a library of reagents and data (such as genomic, transcriptomic and proteomic data) for sharing among investigators. The NMVB may assist in the identification and development of early markers of disease, biomarkers of stage and prognosis, as well as new or improved treatment modalities. It does so by allowing access to biospecimens for research on biomarkers in early detection of malignant mesothelioma, susceptibility, epidemiologic characteristics (such as occupational history and death certificate information), and clinical factors (such as improvements in prognosis as a result of improvements in treatment). Through this NOFO, the awardee will continue to expand the NMVB, improving its capability to serve as a resource for biomedical researchers and the clinical science community focused on malignant mesothelioma. A virtual registry and tissue bank are comprised of participating institutions that share their independent banking collections of tissues and relevant information for use by the research community through a centralized network of collaborators in the registry. This registry is used for data recording and collection related to each tissue sample. 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. The recipient who enters into this cooperative agreement will continue to manage and further enhance the development and utility of the NMVB for expanded use by the biomedical research community, which may lead to improved health outcomes for mesothelioma patients.