Biobanking & Tissue Donation

Sharing a part of you to help find a cure

Volunteers play a critical role in helping our team research how to better treat, prevent, and potentially cure cancer. Tissue, blood, and other biospecimens, as well as medical records, are the foundation of nearly every cancer cure and treatment we use today.

Many of our recent exciting discoveries are in the growing fields of precision medicine and immunotherapy. We’re using patient biospecimens to find new ways to prevent and control treatment-resistant diseases like multiple myeloma, pediatric sarcomas, and triple-negative breast cancer.

And did you know that you can also donate “normal” tissue? We’re home to the world’s largest biorepository of normal breast cells—the Komen Tissue Bank.

How biobanking works

Cancer patients donate tumor tissue or blood samples to our biobank.

Our biobank analyzes the samples and lets researchers know they’re available.

Our researchers test their ideas on donated samples.

Researchers publish their findings and create clinical trials for new treatments.

Thinking, sharing, understanding NORMAL: The Komen Tissue Bank

The Komen Tissue Bank at the IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center is the only normal breast tissue biorepository of its kind in the world.

Cancer researchers use this tissue to characterize the molecular and genetic basis of normal breast development and compare it to the different types of breast cancer.

Donate Your Healthy Breast Tissue

I continue to be awed and inspired by the women who willingly give a piece of themselves for breast cancer research.

Dr. Anna Maria Storniolo — Co-founder and emeritus executive director, Komen Tissue Bank

Ready to learn more?

If you’re interested in donating tissue or other samples, talk to your physician and complete and submit the consent form—a coordinator will follow up.

If you have questions, contact Jill Henry at jihenry@iupui.edu or 317-278-2829.

#ResearchCuresCancer

Support Our Research