NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE - CANCER.GOV

Contact Information

Primary Contact

Yvonne A. Evrard
Operations Manager

Location

Bldg. 31; Room 3A-44 31 Center Drive
Bethesda, MD 20892

Additional Contacts

Michelle Ahalt-Gottholm
BTB COR

Overview

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is developing a national repository of Patient-Derived Models (PDMs) comprised of patient-derived xenografts (PDXs), in vitro patient-derived tumor cell cultures (PDCs) and cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs) as well as patient-derived organoids (PDOrg). , These models will serve as a resource for public-private partnerships and for academic drug discovery efforts. These PDMs will be clinically-annotated with molecular information available in an easily accessible database and will be available to the extramural community.

List of Services

  • Target of 1000 clinically annotated early-passage patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) from tumor specimens and/or enriched circulating tumor cell (CTC) fractions
  • Generate in vitro mixed cancer cell cultures from patient tumor specimens. When possible, the patient-derived cancer-associated fibroblast component will be expanded and cryopreserved in parallel
  • Target of 75-100 unique patients per common cancer type such that the size of each molecularly characterized subgroup is sufficient to power subsequent validation and/or efficacy studies. In addition, the NCI is specifically targeting collection of tissue from cancer types in need of more publicly available biological models such as SCLC, pancreatic, bladder, head & neck, sarcoma, Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, and melanoma
  • Generate models from pre- and post-treatment specimens from the same patient
  • Repository size should include enough biologically and clinically annotated models to reflect genetic diversity and effects of therapy for application in:
    • Target qualification
    • Pharmacodynamic assay and predictive marker development
    • 'Preclinical' clinical trials
    • Provide SOPs based on PDMR best practices for tissue collection, PDM generation, and model quality control; thereby, setting the standard for generation, maintenance, and analysis of PDMs
  • Provide a standard set of molecular characterizations across models to allow selection of the best model for research, including:
    • Targeted variant analysis using a CLIA-approved NCI Cancer Gene Panel
    • Whole exome sequencing and gene expression analysis of early-passage PDMs and where possible, originating patient specimens
    • Histopathology of early-passage PDMs and where possible, originating patient specimens
    • Growth curves of consecutive PDM passages
    • Early-passage cryopreserved PDX fragments or in vitro PDCs available for distribution
    • DNA, RNA, and flash-frozen fragments for protein extraction from early-passage PDXs available for distribution

User Guidelines

For more details and pricing see: PDMR Material Request Procedures

1. Fill out a PDMR Model Request Form.

  • Provide no more than a 2-page summary of the research plan for the requested material(s)
  • If requesting CAF cultures, be sure to supply sufficient justification for why the proposed research should be considered over other requestors. CAFs are non-renewable by the PDMR and once distribution material is used up, no further material will be available.

2. Review the Material Transfer Terms of Agreement and fill out the Material Transfer Agreement (MTA) with signatures affixed from both the requestor and authorizing official (required by NCI). Modifications to NCI’s Material Transfer Terms of Agreement will not be considered.

  • Complete Appendix 1 in the MTA with all PDX model Distribution Lot names listed and type requested.
  • Complete Appendix 2 in the MTA with all PDC, CAF, and/or PDOrg model Distribution Lot names requested.
  • Intramural investigators (MD campuses — Bethesda, Shady Grove, Frederick) need to complete the Intramural MTA (the Terms of the Agreement are included in the document) and Materials Request Form (leave the FedEx and Payment Information blank).

3. If requesting cryopreserved fragments for PDX generation, provide a copy of your Animal Care and Use Committee (ACUC) protocol indicating your laboratory or designate uses NOD.Cg-Prkdcscid Il2rgtm1Wjl/SzJ (NSG) mice or a Bill of Sale showing NSG mice have been purchased. All NCI Patient Derived Models Repository PDXs must be initially implanted into NSG mice by the recipient for propagation.

  • If the recipient wishes to expand in other host mouse strains, the recipient should establish a stock of viably cryopreserved fragments from the initial NSG implants and then test PDX take-rates in alternate host strains.

4. Send the Request Form(s), MTA, and ACUC protocol/Bill of Sale (if applicable) to: NCI_PDM_Repository@mail.nih.gov

5. If requesting in vitro material, a follow-up email will be sent after request documents have been received indicating the specific defined media requirements of the models requested. The recipient must acknowledge that they are aware and will purchase the media components before their request is sent for review.

  • If the recipient wishes to expand into other media than the Complete Media specified in the Certificate of Analysis provided with the requested cultures or on non-Matrigel coated flasks, the recipient should first establish a stock of viably cryopreserved vials of cells per the PDMR SOP and then test viability in alternate media conditions.

Keywords

PDCPDXcell cultureclonal cell linescryopreservedCell Banking and Aliquotingfibroblast cell linesnci-ncrpatient dervied xenograftspatient-derived ell culturerepositoryorganoid