P21.07.B THE LHSC/WESTERN BRAIN TUMOUR TISSUE BANK: A GLOBAL RESOURCE

Abstract BACKGROUND A brain tumour tissue bank can serve as an important source of tissue for neuro-oncology research. The London Health Sciences (LHSC) / Western Brain Tumour Tissue Bank (BTTB) provides high-quality brain tumour tissue specimens that are used globally for neuro-oncology research. The LHSC / Western BTTB was established approximately 35 years ago. The objectives of this study were to: 1) establish an up-to-date accounting of the brain tumour specimens in the BTTB; 2) compare the quality control measures used to assess specimen quality against those used in other comparable tissue banks; 3) determine the scope of tissue distribution globally. MATERIAL AND METHODS The records of the BTTB were reviewed with the assistance of the BTTB coordinator. Number and type of brain tumour specimens were recorded. The quality control measures used in the BTTB were compared with the published literature. The location of laboratories to which brain tumour tissue had been distributed was determined. RESULTS Since 1995 there have been 1536 adult brain tumour specimens collected in the BTTB. There are approximately 3 vials per case, not including paraffin blocks. This includes 713 primary intra-axial central nervous system tumours, 229 meningeal tumours, and 285 metastatic tumours. Since 1995 there have been 223 pediatric brain tumour specimens collected in the BTTB. This includes 53 pilocytic astrocytomas, 32 medulloblastomas, and 27 ependymomas. The quality control measures used in the BTTB appear to exceed those used by other brain tumour tissue banks as determined by literature review. The BTTB has sent tissue specimens to neuro-oncology laboratories around the globe and numerous publications have resulted from experiments using the brain tumour tissue supplied by the BTTB. CONCLUSION The LHSC / Western BTTB has collected a large and diverse number of high quality brain tumour specimens since its founding. It serves as a global resource, and the supplied tissue has led to many research publications in neuro-oncology.