Are you in need of matched biospecimens from cancer subjects? The MT Group has diligently gathered hundreds of matched cases from fully consented subjects and would be delighted to assist your translational oncology studies with high-quality paired tissue and blood samples!
Available Matched Biospecimen Sets from Our Repository
We offer matched biospecimen sets for biomarker validation and companion diagnostic development from our curated repository:
- FFPE tissue samples – FFPE tumor tissue with matched biofluids
- Double-spun plasma – Human plasma samples for liquid biopsy
- Buffy coat – White blood cell concentrates with matched plasma
Why Paired Tissue and Blood Samples Are Essential
Concordance Studies
Paired tissue and blood samples enable concordance analysis between tissue-based and liquid biopsy assays, validating that circulating biomarkers accurately reflect tumor biology. Concordance study samples with matched FFPE tumor tissue and plasma allow researchers to determine sensitivity and specificity of liquid biopsy platforms against tissue-confirmed diagnoses, demonstrating that blood-based tests correlate with gold-standard tissue diagnostics.
Biomarker Validation Across Matrices
Validating biomarkers across tissue and blood matrices ensures robust assay performance across sample types. Matched FFPE tissue samples and human plasma samples from the same patients enable comparison of biomarker expression in tumor tissue versus circulating tumor DNA, RNA, proteins, or other analytes. This cross-matrix validation is essential for companion diagnostic development, where understanding biomarker concordance between tissue and blood informs which specimen type to use for patient selection and therapeutic monitoring.
Tumor Evolution Analysis
Matched biospecimen sets support research into how genomic alterations detected in tissue correlate with circulating biomarkers. Translational oncology biospecimens with paired tissue and blood enable studies of tumor heterogeneity, clonal architecture, and the relationship between solid tumor biology and liquid biopsy-detectable signals.
Tumor Types with Matched Biospecimens Available
MT Group maintains a curated biospecimen repository with matched FFPE tumor tissue, plasma, and buffy coat cases from fully consented subjects across diverse cancer types. Our repository prioritizes rarer tumor types and later-stage disease, though common cancers and early-stage cases are also available. Currently available matched sets include:
- Bladder Cancer
- Cervical Cancer
- Cholangiocarcinoma (Bile Duct Cancer)
- Colon Cancer
- Esophageal Cancer
- Gastric Cancer
- Gastroesophageal Junction (GEJ) Cancer
- Melanoma
- Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)
- Ovarian Cancer
- Pancreatic Cancer
- Rectal Cancer
- Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC)
- Uterine Cancer
Additional tumor types may be available—contact us to discuss your specific requirements and check current inventory.
Custom Prospective Collections for Matched Biospecimens
While banked matched biospecimen sets provide rapid access to cancer biospecimens, many sponsors are discovering the advantages of dedicated prospective collections tailored to their specific needs. Custom prospective matched biospecimen collections offer significant benefits:
Quality Specifications
Every case is collected according to your exact quality specifications including tissue processing protocols, blood collection tubes and anticoagulants, processing timelines, and specimen aliquoting. This ensures consistent quality across all matched sets rather than adapting to variable banked specimen parameters.
Comprehensive Clinical Data
Prospective collections enable customized case report forms capturing the specific clinical data elements most valuable for your research. Rather than being limited to data collected during routine clinical care for banked cases, dedicated collections can incorporate disease staging details, treatment histories, biomarker status, imaging results, and outcome data tailored to your analytical needs.
Sustained Availability
Banked matched biospecimens eventually deplete as demand exceeds supply, particularly for rare tumor types or specific disease stages. Prospective collections provide ongoing specimen availability as cases are enrolled continuously, ensuring your research program isn’t disrupted by inventory limitations. This sustained access is critical for multi-phase studies requiring additional validation cohorts.
Young, Fresh Cases
Prospective collections deliver recently procured specimens rather than samples that may have been stored for years. For applications sensitive to specimen age—such as nucleic acid quality in FFPE tumor tissue or cfDNA integrity in human plasma samples—newly collected cases provide optimal molecular preservation.
Available Matched Formats for Custom Collections
Custom prospective collections can include any combination of:
- Frozen tissue samples (snap-frozen tumor from international sites)
- FFPE tissue samples (formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumor and normal adjacent tissue)
- Plasma (single or double-spun, various anticoagulants)
- Buffy coat (white blood cell concentrates)
- Serum
- PBMCs (peripheral blood mononuclear cells)
- Buccal swabs (germline DNA controls)
- Whole blood in specialized tubes (PAXgene, Streck cfDNA)
All specimens are collected from fully consented subjects under IRB-approved protocols. MT Group works with you to design matched biospecimen collection protocols that optimize enrollment feasibility while meeting your scientific objectives for biomarker validation and companion diagnostic development.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does “matched” mean for cancer biospecimen sets?
Matched cancer biospecimen sets include multiple specimen types collected from the same patient, typically tissue paired with blood derivatives (plasma, buffy coat, or serum). These matched sets enable researchers to compare tissue-based findings with circulating biomarkers from the same individual, controlling for patient-specific genetic background and environmental factors. Common matched formats include FFPE tumor tissue with matched plasma and buffy coat, allowing concordance analyses between solid tumor biology and liquid biopsy signals.
Which cancer types are available with matched tissue and blood samples?
MT Group maintains matched biospecimen sets across diverse cancer types including bladder cancer, cervical cancer, cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer), colon cancer, esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancer, melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), ovarian cancer, pancreatic cancer, rectal cancer, small cell lung cancer (SCLC), and uterine cancer. Our repository prioritizes rarer tumor types and later-stage disease, though early-stage cases are also available. Additional tumor types may be available—contact us to discuss your specific requirements and check current inventory.
What plasma processing protocols do you follow for matched collections?
MT Group uses double-spin centrifugation protocols for all matched plasma collections to ensure high-quality, platelet-poor plasma suitable for liquid biopsy applications. We follow either our standard EDTA plasma protocol or the Streck cell-free DNA collection protocol depending on study requirements. Double-spinning removes platelet contamination and produces plasma with minimal genomic DNA background from lysed cells, optimizing specimen quality for circulating tumor DNA analysis and other sensitive biomarker assays.
Can you collect matched samples prospectively with custom specifications?
Yes, custom prospective matched biospecimen collections can be designed with your exact specifications for tissue processing (frozen from international sites or FFPE), blood collection tubes and anticoagulants, processing protocols, specimen aliquoting, and clinical data collection. Prospective collections ensure all matched sets meet your quality standards, include comprehensive clinical annotation tailored to your research, provide sustained specimen availability as enrollment continues, and deliver recently procured cases with optimal molecular preservation. All specimens are collected from fully consented subjects under IRB-approved protocols.
What tumor content percentage is guaranteed for matched FFPE samples?
MT Group guarantees a minimum tumor content of 40% for matched FFPE samples, verified through pathologist review. However, most specimens in our repository have significantly higher tumor content, often exceeding 70-90%. Reports documenting tumor content percentage accompany each specimen. For prospective collections, tumor content thresholds can be customized to your specific requirements, with sites trained to select blocks meeting your designated minimum tumor percentage.
What clinical annotations accompany matched cancer biospecimen sets?
Comprehensive clinical documentation accompanies matched cancer biospecimen sets including patient demographics, disease diagnosis and stage, tumor grade and histology, treatment history (surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, targeted therapy, immunotherapy), biomarker status (when tested as standard of care such as PD-L1, HER2, EGFR, ALK), relevant laboratory values, and surgical pathology reports. For banked specimens, clinical data reflects information available from medical records at time of collection. For prospective collections, case report forms can be customized to capture specific data elements including disease severity scoring, detailed treatment regimens, imaging findings, and longitudinal outcome data tailored to your research objectives.
Don’t hesitate to contact us today to explore our banked matched cancer biospecimens inventory or discuss custom prospective translational oncology matched collections tailored to your research needs.
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