Biorepository
The Biorepository Core within the Georgia Cancer Center at Â鶹AV and Wellstar MCG Health provides Life-Changing, Life-Saving research opportunities for scientists advancing the understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer.
By offering access to high-quality biospecimens representing more than 20 distinct cancer types, the GCC Biorepository plays a vital role in accelerating discoveries that directly impact patients across Georgia and beyond.
As part of a comprehensive cancer center, the Biorepository supports laboratory research, population research, clinical research, and clinical care, helping translate scientific discoveries into meaningful improvements in prevention, early detection, and treatment. Many of the cancer types represented in our collections reflect those most commonly diagnosed among people in Georgia, underscoring our commitment to addressing the cancers that most significantly affect our communities and improving outcomes statewide.
The Georgia Cancer Center Biorepository (GCCB) provides a wide range of professional collection, annotation, and storage solutions. This Biorepository is also home to a state-wide resource, the Biorepository Alliance of Georgia for Oncology (BRAG-Onc), which functions to collect samples from participating sites across the State to represent the diversity of cancer patients within the State and to enhance cancer research in Georgia. Over the past years, the Biorepository and BRAG-Onc have provided specimens for over 30 individual research projects and have also supplied samples to The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) project. The NHGRI and NCI launched the full-scale landmark TCGA program, with the goal to perform in-depth molecular analysis and sequencing of 4,000 cancer patients representing the 20 most common cancers. Inclusion in the TCGA program earmarks BRAG-Onc and the GCC Biorepository as meeting the most stringent quality control standards for specimen processing.
The Biorepository collects and stores specimens under standardized conditions with accompanying clinical and demographic information and appropriate patient consent, in compliance with the most current Best Practices for Biorepositories as recommended by NCI’s OBBR and ISBER.
Tissue specimens are rapidly preserved through vapor-phase liquid nitrogen freezing to maintain molecular integrity and are stored in cryofreezers at -170°C to -190°C. Blood samples are processed into serum, plasma, and buffy coat fractions prior to storage at -70°C to -80°C, with all systems continuously monitored and supported by alarm systems to ensure sample stability.
Other methods of preparation and handling (such as fresh tissue or tumor cells for culture) are available by arrangement. The Biorepository also houses a specialized Bone Marrow Repository for hematopoietic malignancies and disorders, and preserves frozen viable mononuclear cells, enriched by gradient centrifugation. There is also access to normal blood products through our collaboration with the Shepeard Community Blood Center.
Serving as a critical bridge between clinical care and scientific discovery, the GCC Biorepository advances personalized medicine and enables breakthroughs that are truly Life-Changing, Life-Saving—for patients today and for future generations across Georgia.
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Contact Us
Biorepository
Health Sciences Campus
1410 Laney Walker Blvd., CORE 1191, 1190
Rajeev Singh, MBBS, MD, MBA -
Director
706-721-3037
Monday - Friday
8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Equipment
Biosafety Cabinet
To maintain safety & sterility, samples are handled in a laminar flow biosafety cabinet in the main laboratory & the frozen section room.
Leica Aperio Versa
Digital slide scanning is carried out using the Leica Aperio Versa. The wide range of objective lenses and motorized nose piece for automatic changing, enables scanning of slides at their ideal resolution. Slides can be scanned anywhere from 0.9mm to 1.2mm thickness, with scan times of 206 secs for 15x15mm at 20x. With the 200-slide robotic slide loader, up to 200 slides may be scanned in one session. Scanned images of appropriate resolution are uploaded to Â鶹AV Box for secure access and storage. Files in .scn format may be viewed using Aperio ImageScope software from Leica.
Tissue Aliquots
Surgical samples transported directly from the OR are reviewed by a pathologist’s assistant or by a resident pathologist & ensuring specimen integrity for diagnosis, suitable samples are dissected & provided to biorepository personnel. These samples are annotated & further dissected to provide multiple aliquots that can be flash-frozen or fixed in formalin for subsequent processing & distribution for translational research.
MVE Liquid Nitrogen Freezer Bank
The MVE Series of cryogenic freezers is perfect for the Life Sciences. With enough storage capacity for up to 39,000 1.2/2.0 ml vials, there’s plenty of room for your valuable samples & with MVE’s 60 years of expertise in manufacturing open-top models like this, you’ll have complete peace of mind that your precious contents will remain viable & protected.
Grundium OCUS 40 MGU-00003 Digital Microscope
This compact digital microscope is the newest addition to Biorepository’s list of equipments. It plays an important role in the histological QC of tissue samples and setting up of the prospective digital slide library.
Huntopics & Imaging: OLYMPUS BX41 Microscope
The OLYMPUS BX41 microscope is used for high-quality brightfield microscopy and visualization of biological specimens and tissue sections. Within the Biorepository, this instrument supports routine histological assessment, sample quality evaluation, and microscopic examination of tissue sections. Its reliable optical performance enables clear visualization of cellular and tissue morphology for research and biorepository-related applications.
Meet Our Team
Rajeev Singh, MBBS, MD, MBA
- Director, Georgia Cancer Center Tumor Bank
706-721-3037
