Biospecimen Archive Research Core (BARC)

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BARC is an IRB-approved, fee-for-service archive of biospecimens operated by the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. Our mission is to collect high quality samples of normal and diseased human material with appropriate clinical annotation and make these biospecimens available to qualified researchers. All subjects have given consent for these biospecimens to be used in broad applications of research, while the BARC is charged with protecting privacy and confidentiality of all participants.

All biospecimens collected from medical procedures at Boston Medical Center (BMC) have been procured from patients under rigorous quality management, processed and stored using NCI Best Practices.

  • Applicants are required to have IRB approval or a non-human subjects (NHSR) designation to access samples & data
  • Tissue samples are frozen and/or blocked in paraffin, with many having matching plasma samples
  • Can work with investigators to get prospective samples if retrospective samples will not work
  • Investigators must read BARC Material Use, Data Sharing and Publication Acknowledgment Agreement prior to requesting samples
  • Fill out the BARC Access Survey for access to our services.
  • BARC Oversight Committee will review and approve application to ensure feasibility
  • Cost recovery fee
    • BU/BMC internal $40 per sample
  • Contact us with questions, help planning a project, or requests for letters of support for funding applications.
  • Histological services provided through Collaborative Research Laboratory (CoRe)

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DISEASE AND TISSUE TYPES REPRESENTED:

Colon

  • IBD
  • Rectal Cancer
  • Colon Cancer
Tonsils

  • Obstructive Sleep Apnea
  • Tonsillitis
Parathyroid

  • Parathyroid Adenoma
Stomach

  • Stomach Cancer
Prostate

  • Prostate Cancer
Uterus

  • Uterine Cancer
Lung

  • Squamous Cell Carcinoma
  • Adenocarcinoma
Ovary

  • Ovarian Cancer
Thyroid

  • Papillary Carcinomas
Kidney

  • Papillary Renal Cell Carcinoma
  • Renal Cell Carcinoma
  • Clear Cell Carcinoma
Breast

  • Ductal Carcinoma In Situ
  • Invasive Ductal Carcinoma
  • Invasive Lobular Carcinoma

Please contact BARC@bmc.org for current inventory

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Specimen Type

No. of Frozen Aliquots

No. of Paraffin blocks

Brain

33

22

Thyroid

1051

600

Prostate

1043

461

Parotid

195

95

Parathyroid

97

61

Thymus

42

23

Pancreas

126

88

Lung

773

370

Kidney

758

425

Colon

818

481

Breast

1184

585

Adrenal

79

45

Liver

95

40

Ovary

29

16

Cervix

44

13

Esophagus

41

28

Bladder

23

14

Spleen

134

67

Rectum

31

20

Stomach

42

41

Tonsil

434

401