Frequently Asked Questions

What is the CHTN?

Is the CHTN a bank? Do you have a catalog or a list of tissues that are available?

How much does it cost?

Does the CHTN accept credit cards?

What information comes with the sample?

Is clinical history, or follow-up information available?

Does the CHTN provide cells or cell cultures?

Does the CHTN provide blood?

Does the CHTN provide tissue microarrays?

Does the CHTN provide tissue to commercial companies?

How many samples will I get? How large are the samples? How long does it take the CHTN to serve a request?

Do you provide fetal tissues?

Do you serve investigators outside the US?

Are you affiliated with National Disease Research Interchange (NDRI)? How does the CHTN differ from NDRI?

Where do you get your tissue?

What do I do to sign up?

How do I know where my completed application should be returned?

Will all of the CHTN divisions try to meet my request?

What is the CHTN? - The Cooperative Human Tissue Network (CHTN) is a group of six academic institutions funded by the National Cancer Institute to work together to provide remnant human tissue and fluids to investigators throughout the United States and elsewhere. The CHTN provides normal, malignant, benign, and diseased biospecimens from routine surgical resections or autopsies. Tissues are collected prospectively, per the investigator's protocol, and can be provided to the investigator fresh, frozen, or as paraffin blocks or slides.

Is the CHTN a bank? Do you have a catalog or a list of tissues that are available? - The CHTN is not a bank. It is as noted above a prospective collection service. However, some biospecimens are banked for a limited time. Banked biospecimens that meet an investigator's request will be made available.

How much does it cost? - The CHTN charges a processing fee for the services that we provide. Academic investigators pay a $30 processing charge/sample, and investigators located at commercial organizations pay a $70 processing fee/sample. For complete list of CHTN processing fees see the following links in PDF and MS-Word formats.

Does the CHTN accept credit cards? - Payment of CHTN processing and other fees is made directly to the division supplying the samples; the method of payment is subject to local institutional requirements. At the discretion of the local institution, some divisions may accept credit card payments; however, investigators applying for CHTN services should be prepared to make payment by check for services provided by divisions not accepting credit cards. NIH researchers may pay using ACH. Payment method is at the discretion of the CHTN and its divisions, and investigators using the service may not REQUIRE a particular mode of payment in order to accept samples.

What information comes with the sample? - A copy of the pathology report, with all identifying information removed, is provided with all samples. Information includes the age, race, and sex of the patient, the surgical pathology diagnosis, and the quality control diagnosis of the tissue that is being sent for research. Copies of the reports are sent with the samples except reports for fresh specimens, which are provided when they become available.

Is clinical history, or follow-up information available? - The mission of the CHTN is to provide basic biospecimens for research; this does not include routine clinical history or follow-up information. Investigators may, however, request biospecimens from cases that meet certain criteria, if those criteria are specified before the biospecimens are collected. Requested clinical history or follow up information that is available will be provided, for additional cost, only when the privacy and the confidentiality of the patient are guaranteed. For complete list of CHTN processing fees see the following links in PDF and MS-Word formats.

Does the CHTN provide cells or cell cultures? - No. The CHTN does not provide cells, cell separation, or cell culture services. If you are requesting cell or cell cultures, please go to the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) http://www.atcc.org.

Does the CHTN provide blood? - The CHTN has access to remnant blood from the clinical laboratories, but rarely has access to blood drawn specifically for research. Serum, plasma, and buffy coat are often available. Whole blood may also be available. These are usually in small quantities. If an investigator requires large amounts (i.e. 10 ml) of blood or blood products, the investigator can contact the NCI Tissue Expediter (tissuexp@mail.nih.gov), who can refer you to other sources.

Does the CHTN provide tissue microarrays? - Yes. If you are interested in tissue microarrays for screening, please go to http://ccr.cancer.gov/tech_initiatives/tarp/. If you are interested in other normal and cancer tissue arrays, please go to http://faculty.virginia.edu/chtn-tma/home.html. If you are interested in breast tissue arrays, please go to http://www.cbctr.ims.nci.nih.gov/tma.html.

Does the CHTN provide tissue to commercial companies? - Yes, but with certain requirements. Basically, the tissue can only be used for research purposes. The last page of the application includes an agreement page that the investigator must sign. The first paragraph addresses this. If you are uncertain if your proposed usage is acceptable, please submit the application with a detailed description of the proposed usage and a board-certified pathologist will review it. If we anticipate any problems, you will be contacted. Alternatively, if you wish to know if your proposed usage of the biospecimen is acceptable before you complete the application, e-mail your proposed project to your primary division so that it can be reviewed by the Principal Investigator of the division, and the PI will make a determination as to whether or not the request can be served.

How many samples will I get? How large are the samples? How long does it take the CHTN to serve a request? - Because we operate as a prospective service, the answers to these questions vary with each request. Investigators are asked to provide us with a minimum to maximum size that they can use. The smaller the sample size that you can accept, the more samples will be available. You can specify a specific number of samples you would like, or can have an open-ended request. The length of time it takes to serve a request is impossible to estimate. It will depend upon the requirements of your protocol, as well as the availability of the samples requested, and the number of investigators requesting the same tissue type.

Do you provide fetal tissues? - No, the CHTN does NOT provide fetal tissue.

Do you serve investigators outside the US? - Yes, the CHTN can provide tissue to researchers outside the U.S. and Canada if serving the biospecimen request does not negatively impact the supply of the same biospecimen type requests made by US and Canadian investigators. Researchers outside the US or Canada can also contact the NCI Tissue Expediter, (tissuexp@mail.nih.gov). A foreign investigator may also collaborate with an investigator located in the US and/or Canada. In this case, the domestic collaborator must complete an application requesting the specimen for his/her laboratory with "third party" arrangement. The CHTN does have specific requirements for "third party" arrangement (see page one of the application).

Are you affiliated with National Disease Research Interchange (NDRI)? How does the CHTN differ from NDRI? - No, the CHTN is not currently affiliated with the NDRI, although the two were previously affiliated. Among other things, NDRI specializes in procurement of whole organs from transplants. The CHTN specializes in the prospective procurement of remnant tissue from surgical resections and autopsies.

Where do you get your tissue? - The five adult divisions that comprise the CHTN are the University of Pennsylvania, The University of Virginia, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Vanderbilt University, and The Ohio State University. The CHTN has one division that specializes in the procurement and distribution of pediatric tissues, Children's Hospital of Columbus, Ohio. Each of the divisions has arrangements with their institutional hospitals, local hospitals, and other subcontract hospitals to collect specimens.

What do I do to sign up? - Investigators must complete a CHTN application and Data Use Agreement and return both to the appropriate division with a copy of their Institutional Review Board/Human Subjects (IRB) approval or exemption for the project for which the specimens will be utilized.

How do I know where my completed application should be returned? - The country is divided geographically to determine which CHTN division will serve as the “primary” division for a researcher. This means that your primary division will coordinate the receipt and approval of your application, and will be responsible for most of the primary communication with you. Applications requesting pediatric tissues should be returned directed to the Pediatric Division. A list of the addresses, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses for the divisions, along with a map showing the geographic regions is on the first page of the application, and on the CHTN website under Regional Division.

Will all of the CHTN divisions try to meet my request? - Your primary division will review your request(s) and determine whether it can be served locally by the primary division. If not, it will be networked (sent to the other divisions). If your request is networked, you will be contacted by an individual division when samples become available to arrange for shipment from that division.

Last updated: 10/09/07. for comments or concerns about this web site please contact: Steve Marroulis at tissueresources@imsweb.com