Frequently Asked Questions
ON THIS PAGE
- Section 1: Questions about the Application Process and Receiving Biospecimens?
- Section 2: Questions about the CHTN Data?
- Section 3: Questions about responsibilities as a CHTN investigator?
- Section 4: Questions about solid tissue biospecimens?
- Section 5: Questions about Blood and other Bodily Fluids?
- Section 6: Publishing Research Results using CHTN tissues and other General questions?
- Section 7: General Questions and Other Services
Section 1: Questions about the Application Process and Receiving Biospecimens?
How long does it take to get a CHTN application approved?
The review timeline depends on the completeness and accuracy of the application. If all sections are complete and required agreements are signed by the appropriate institutional authorities, review typically takes 2-5 business days. Incomplete applications or unsigned agreements will be returned for correction.
What paperwork do I need to send with the application?
IRB approval or a Non-Human Subjects Determination (for academic and government investigators)
- Completed CHTN application and tissue request forms
- Signed Use Agreements (included in the application)
- Human Subjects Agreement (Commercial Investigators that do not have an IRB)
Does it cost anything to apply to the CHTN?
At this time, the CHTN does not charge an application fee. The CHTN only charges a nominal processing fee for its services and specimens. The NCI's grant support for the CHTN allows us to offer a reduced rate for investigators affiliated with academic, government, and non-commercial entities. Please click here for our current processing fees:
Does the CHTN accept applications from Commercial/For-Profit Companies?
Biospecimens are distributed on a rotating basis using the following priority order:
- Peer-review funded investigators at academic or non-profit institutions, requests associated with peer-review funded projects at commercial and for-profit companies, investigators at federal & national laboratories.
- Developmental and new investigators at academic centers or non-profit research institutions.
- Other investigators including those who are associated with for-profit research institutions.
Divisions may use discretion to deviate from the priority system when necessary. Investigators may appeal their priority by submitting a letter to the Coordinating Committee or NCI Program Director. Internal investigators at contributing institutions will maintain highest priority.
Does the CHTN serve investigator outside of North America?
Yes, the CHTN can serve investigators outside of North America. The CHTN does reserve the right to handle these requests on a case-by-case basis, and each division that can potentially serve the request must follow its institution's specified rules and regulations for shipping specimens internationally. Please contact the CHTN Central Coordinator, Kiley Radin at kradin@chtn.org
How long does it take to get specimens once the application is approved?
The time to fulfill a request varies based on your protocol needs, sample availability, and demand from other investigators. Contact your division coordinator to discuss your research. CHTN aims to serve requests within two weeks of submission.
What does the “Authorized Signature” on the Agreement for Use of Tissue and Data use Agreement mean? Who should sign?
An authorized signature must come from someone other than the applying PI who oversees the PI's research. For academic investigators, this may be an official from the Office of Research or Technology Transfer. For commercial investigators, a CEO or legal representative is acceptable.
The requesting investigator must also sign the forms as the tissue recipient and holder of IRB approval.
How does the CHTN define identification, anonymization, coded data and biospecimens in human tissue research and the impact on biorepositories, research and discovery?
Section 2: Questions about the CHTN Data?
What information comes with the samples?
The information provided depends on the biospecimen type. Standard data includes patient age, race, gender, and tissue quality control diagnosis. De-identified pathology reports are included with shipments, except for specimens sent on the day of collection—those reports will follow once available. CHTN adheres to the College of American Pathologists' formatting for final pathology reports.
Can a Chart Review be requested to obtain additional clinical information?
Each specimen includes basic clinical and demographic information. Additional de-identified data extraction from patient records may be requested via Chart Review for a fee, but availability is limited and must be discussed with your division coordinator. CHTN does not perform medical interpretation.
Access to medical records is limited to the CHTN's institution, and data may be incomplete for referral patients. Imaging data (CT scans, X-rays, etc). and direct contact with donors is not available. CHTN cannot guarantee follow-up or outcome data, and completeness of data is not assured.
Investigators requiring non-standard clinical data, who require follow-up or outcome information, or who anticipate a future need to request chart information after a specimen is received, must document this at the time of the original specimen request so the CHTN can attempt to exclude specimens unlikely to have this information available. Users should be aware that such requests may result in access to fewer specimens. A Chart Review fee will apply for each review attempted.
Can CHTN provide staging information?
What is the CHTN's data retention policy?
Each CHTN division follows its institutional data retention policy, which ranges from three to ten years of required storage depending on the division, and the data retention guidelines set by government entities (i.e., National Cancer Institute). “Data” in this context includes the following items: pathology reports, investigator applications and agreements, financial records, administrative records, MTAs, IRB and regulatory records, and scientific, biospecimen, and QMS records. If you need to know the exact policy at a certain division, please reach out to the division coordinator
What molecular testing is available with the CHTN biospecimens?
Please review the CHTN Biomarker Policy for more information
How does CHTN protect Investigator Data?
The Cooperative Human Tissue Network (CHTN) is committed to safeguarding the confidentiality and security of investigators' research and personal information, including applications, projects, tissue requests, and data. Investigator information is not shared with other CHTN investigators or external parties unless directly related to network operations. Information is only shared among CHTN sites as needed to fulfill an investigator's request.
As part of program evaluation, the CHTN is also required to share research abstracts with its funding agency, the National Cancer Institute (NCI).
Can I obtain each Division's IRB approval to operate as a Biorepository?
Yes! Please contact Ms. Kiley Radin, the CHTN Central Coordinator.
Can I obtain each Division's Informed Consent Document?
CHTN operates by consenting patients and under a waiver of consent. CHTN Divisions that use Informed Consent Documents (ICD), may release the sample ICD to investigators to review. Please indicate on the CHTN application if you require the patients to be consented or reach out to your primary division coordinator.
Can I request the divisions to complete a clinical history form?
CHTN must review any form requesting patient data before agreeing to complete it. Data availability is not guaranteed, and an additional fee applies beyond standard chart review charges.
Section 3: Questions about responsibilities as a CHTN investigator?
Am I required to accept tissues once I place a tissue request?
Yes. CHTN expects investigators to accept the biospecimens that were collected on their behalf to fulfill their active protocols. Failure to accept procured samples may result in penalties to the principal investigator or his/her institution, including but not limited to, loss of access to future services from the CHTN.
Am I financially obligated to accept tissue and/or biofluids that I request?
Yes. All active CHTN investigators with open requests are responsible for the fees associated with biospecimens procured on their behalf until the request is formally inactivated. This includes specimens refused without valid justification, particularly those collected for specific protocols, as well as blood—even if tissue is necrotic or unavailable. As a prospective procurement program, CHTN allocates resources based on investigator requests. Non-payment will result in the suspension of all CHTN services for the investigator and their institution.
This policy extends to events such as "Flash sales," which occur at least once a year.
Does CHTN accept credit cards?
Some divisions accept credit card payments, but please check with your primary division coordinator. CHTN accepts Purchase Orders, Blanket Purchase Orders, checks and ACH wire transfers. * There may be a service charge applied for using credit cards.
Does it cost to apply to the CHTN?
At this time, the CHTN does not charge an application fee. The CHTN only charges a nominal processing fee for its services and specimens. The NCI's grant support for the CHTN allows us to offer a reduced rate for investigators affiliated with academic, government, and non-commercial entities. Please click here for our current processing fees.
Am I responsible for the cost of shipping the biospecimens?
Yes. You are required to supply the CHTN with a courier number. If you require the CHTN to invoice for the cost of shipping, there may be a service fee associated with the final cost of shipping. Investigators may also provide CHTN will labels (emailed) at the time of shipment.
Can I share the biospecimens with other labs for their research?
CHTN prohibits third-party distribution of biospecimens, without explicit consent from the CHTN. Please review the third-party transfer requirements.
Section 4: Questions about solid tissue biospecimens?
Where does CHTN obtain tissue?
The five adult-specimen institutions that comprise the CHTN divisions are the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Virginia, Duke University, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and The Ohio State University. The CHTN also includes one division specializing in the procurement and distribution of pediatric tissues: Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. Each CHTN division has arrangements with its institutional hospitals, local hospitals, and other subcontracted hospitals to collect biospecimens.
Are biospecimens screened or tested before distribution?
No, the CHTN does not perform clinical tests on tissue (e.g. for the presence of infective agents such as hepatitis). While the CHTN attempts to avoid providing tissues that are contaminated with highly infectious agents such as hepatitis and HIV, all tissues should be handled as if potentially infectious. Recipients must also agree not to perform such tests on the tissues supplied by the CHTN. If an institution tests samples or byproducts for infectious diseases, the CHTN does not accept any information regarding the results of these tests.
Does the CHTN supply fetal tissues?
The CHTN does NOT provide fetal tissue (including tissue from fetal autopsies) to investigators because of concerns about differences in individual state laws and concerns about potential use for stem cell research.
Can I specify the percental of tumor in the biospecimen?
No, an investigator cannot specify the percentage of tumor in a specimen, but the CHTN guarantees at least 10% tumor in a tumor specimen. A specimen can be enriched by macrodissection for an additional charge. Please contact your primary division to discuss this service in further detail.
How many biospecimens will I get and how large are biospecimens?
Because the CHTN operates as a prospective procurement service, responses to these questions will vary depending on the specifics of each request. Investigators are encouraged to indicate a minimum and maximum acceptable specimen size. For cancer cases, tissue availability depends on both the anatomical site and diagnosis. Many cancers are detected early and yield only limited tissue. For example, a typical request for breast or pancreatic cancer would be approximately 150-250 mg. In contrast, larger tumors such as ovarian or colon cancers may provide more tissue.
Banked fluids are generally stored in aliquots of 1 mL for whole blood or urine, and 0.25-0.5 mL for plasma or serum. In general, the smaller the acceptable sample size, the greater the number of samples that can be provided. Larger sample requests are more difficult to fulfill, as the CHTN prioritizes smaller requests to accommodate as many investigators as possible.
You may request a specific number of samples or submit an open-ended request.
Section 5: Questions about Blood and other Bodily Fluids?
Does CHTN provide whole tubes of blood?
The CHTN has access to remnant blood from clinical laboratories, and several divisions have protocols in place to collect whole blood tubes from consented patient populations specifically for research purposes. Volume availability may be limited by patient diagnostic needs or IRB regulations. Your regional CHTN Coordinator can provide details on availability, collection, and processing. For requests requiring larger volumes (e.g., 40 mL or more), investigators should consult the NCI Specimen Resource Locator for additional options.
Does the CHTN provide any specialized processing of blood?
Yes, the divisions that collect whole tubes of blood, can review your processing schedule to determine feasibility and any associated costs. Please reach out to your primary division coordinator for more information.
Can I request a specific blood collection tube to be used?
The CHTN offers four standard blood collection tube types: K2 EDTA (purple top), Sodium Heparin (dark green top), Serum Separator Tube with clot activator (red top), and Sodium Citrate 3.5% (light blue top). If your research requires a different tube type, you must supply the appropriate tubes to the CHTN divisions responsible for blood collection. Please contact your division coordinator to discuss any relevant SOPs and potential additional charges associated with the use of non-standard tubes.
What other types of bodily fluids can I obtain?
CHTN can collect Urine, Ascites, Cerebrospinal fluid, Effusion, Bone Marrow, synovial fluid, pancreatic juice, cyst fluid. Please contact your primary division coordinator for more information.
Am I financially responsible for the blood collection even if no tissue was procured for me?
Yes, all active CHTN investigators with open/active requests are responsible for all fees associated with any biospecimens procured for them until the request is inactivated by the investigator. This includes biospecimens that are refused without appropriate justification, especially biospecimens specifically collected to fill individual request protocols, and blood even if the tissue is necrotic or unavailable. Because the CHTN is a prospective procurement program, resources are allocated for the collection of biospecimens requested by investigators. Therefore, the CHTN expects investigators to accept the biospecimens that were collected on their behalf to fulfill their active protocols. Failure to accept procured samples may result in penalties to the principal investigator or his/her institution, including but not limited to, loss of access to future services from the CHTN.
Section 6: Publishing Research Results using CHTN tissues and other General questions?
Does the CHTN have a Research Resource Identifier (RRID)?
Yes, it is SCR_004446
How do I reference the CHTN if I publish results utilizing the biospecimens I received?
The CHTN's Agreement for Use of Tissue states that investigators agree to acknowledge the contributions of the Cooperative Human Tissue Network in all publications resulting from the use of these tissues. The CHTN's Research Resource Identifier (RRID) is SCR_004446. The following is one suggestion on how to acknowledge the CHTN:
Tissue samples were provided by the NCI Cooperative Human Tissue Network (CHTN). Other investigators may have received specimens from the same tissue specimens.
Section 7: General Questions and Other Services?
Is the CHTN a biobank?
The CHTN is not a bank and therefore does not have a catalog of biospecimens. The CHTN is 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.
Does the CHTN provide cells or cell cultures?
No, the CHTN does not provide cells, cell separation, or cell culture services. However, the CHTN is able to provide fresh viable tissue specimens suitable for these applications. If you are requesting cells or cell cultures, please consider contacting the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) or the NCI Specimen Resource Locator.
Does the CHTN provide tissue microarrays?
The CHTN has a range of tissue microarray (TMA) slides available, which include surveys of normal tissues and several common cancers. These arrays are suitable as preliminary screening tools or to supplement other findings. Detailed clinical annotation, treatment and outcome are not provided. Our available TMA designs change based on feedback we receive from researchers, but the CHTN does not custom fabricate TMA blocks for individual projects. Please visit the CHTN TMA web site for more information.