SampleSmart

Biospecimens

Source high quality human biospecimens for your research.

biospecimens icons abstract design circles

Types Of Human Biospecimens

A selection of the types of human biospecimens that we can acquire.

If you don’t see the type of biospecimen you need, please contact us for further information.

blood sample research

Biofluids (Blood)

  • Whole blood
  • PBMCs
  • Buffy Coat
  • Serum
  • Plasma
  • cfDNA
  • ctDNA
urine human biofluid research

Biofluids (other)

  • Urine
  • Stool
  • Saliva
  • Swabs
  • Cerebral Spinal Fluid (CSF)
  • Bone Marrow Aspirate
  • Synovial Fluid
ffpe tma human tissue research biospecimen

Tissue​

  • Fresh Tissue
  • Frozen Tissue
  • Fixed Tissue
  • FFPE
  • Tissue Microarray (TMA)
  • Slides
  • Dissociated Tumor Cells
human cells research biospecimens

Cells & Other

  • Myoblasts
  • Bone Marrow Mononuclear Cells
  • Epithelial Cells
  • Protein Lysates
  • DNA
  • RNA
blood sample research

Biofluids (Blood)

  • Whole blood
  • PBMCs
  • Buffy Coat
  • Serum
  • Plasma
  • cfDNA
  • ctDNA
urine human biofluid research

Biofluids (other)

  • Urine
  • Stool
  • Saliva
  • Swabs
  • Cerebral Spinal Fluid (CSF)
  • Bone Marrow Aspirate
  • Synovial Fluid
ffpe tma human tissue research biospecimen

Tissue​

  • Fresh Tissue
  • Frozen Tissue
  • Fixed Tissue
  • FFPE
  • Tissue Microarray (TMA)
  • Slides
  • Dissociated Tumor Cells
human cells research biospecimens

Cells & Other

  • Myoblasts
  • Bone Marrow Mononuclear Cells
  • Epithelial Cells
  • Protein Lysates
  • DNA
  • RNA

Diseases and Indications

A selection of the diseases/indications for which we can obtain human biospecimens.

If you don’t see the disease/indication you need, please contact us for further information.

Normal/Healthy

  • Healthy Subjects

Oncology

  • Breast Cancer
  • Bladder Cancer
  • Colorectal Cancer
  • Endometrial Cancer
  • Gastric Cancer
  • Head and Neck Cancer
  • Kidney Cancer
  • Leukemia
  • Liver Cancer
  • Lung Cancer
  • Lymphoma
  • Ovarian Cancer
  • Pancreatic Cancer
  • Prostate Cancer
  • Skin Cancer
  • Thyroid Cancer

Neurology

  • Alzheimer's
  • Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
  • Bell's Palsy
  • Epilepsy
  • Huntington's Disease
  • Multiple Sclerosis
  • Neuromuscular Disorders
  • Parkinson's Disease

Infectious Diseases

  • COVID-19
  • Dengue
  • Hepatitis
  • HIV
  • Human Papillomavirus (HPV)
  • Influenza (Flu)
  • Pneumonia
  • Sepsis

Rare and Orphan Diseases

  • Chromosome Disorders
  • Cystic Fibrosis
  • Huntington's Disease
  • Muscular Dystrophy
  • Rare Cancers

Rheumatology

  • Fibromyalgia
  • Gout
  • Lupus
  • Osteoarthritis
  • Osteoporosis
  • Psoriatic Arthritis

Cardiology

  • Arrhythmias
  • Congenital Heart Disease
  • Coronary Artery Diease
  • Cardiomyopathy
  • Stroke
  • Vascular Disease

Reproductive

  • Endometriosis
  • Menopause
  • Pregnancy
  • Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
  • Polyps

Our Network of Biospecimen Providers

We work with a worldwide network of biospecimen providers, including academic/hospital biobanks and a variety of other providers. We only work with biospecimen providers who meet our strict standards with regards to biospecimen quality and ethical compliance.

It is our priority to ensure that we can source all types of biospecimens. As a result, we are constantly looking to add new providers to our network. If you are a biospecimen provider, please contact us for more information about joining our network.

world map biospecimens research

Types of Biospecimen Collections

There are two main types of biospeimen collections: prospective and retrospective. At SampleSmart, we can initiate either a prospective or retrospective collection of samples in order to meet your specific biospecimen needs.

Prospective Collection

The collection of biospecimens from subjects in the future (ie. the samples do not already exist). 

Custom or Ongoing

There are two types of prospective collections that occur:

Ongoing – IRB/IEC approval for a general collection protocol is already in place and sample collection is ongoing.  

Custom – IRB/IEC approval is not yet in place and a custom protocol will need to be drafted and approved prior to starting the biospecimen collection.

Examples:

  • Fresh  biospecimens (ie. blood, tissue, swabs, saliva, etc.)
  • FFPE tissue blocks (not already available as stored samples)
  • Frozen plasma (not already available as stored samples)

Retrospective Collection

The collection of biospecimens that have previously been collected and stored (ie. the samples already exist). 

Stored

There are two main sources of stored biospecimens:

Diagnostic Remnant Samples – The remnants of samples collected as part of routine clinical care.

Banked Samples – Samples collected and stored by biobanks (academic, hospital, or other) for the purpose of future use in R&D.

Examples:

  • Frozen serum (diagnostic remnant)
  • FFPE tissue block (diagnostic remnant)
  • Frozen tissue sample
  • Frozen PBMCs

Example Biospecimen Requests

Cutting edge life science research often requires very specific biospecimen collection criteria.

We have the expertise to help you formulate the exact specifications to match your needs.

With our network of providers, we have the resources to supply even the most difficult to find samples.

blood plasma sample human biofluids
Frozen Plasma

  • Healthy subjects
  • 30 subjects, 1 sample per subject
  • Blood collected into K2EDTA vacutainers
  • 3-4 mL plasma per subject
  • Samples shipped on dry ice
  • Data: Age, Gender, Country

ffpe tissue block drawing source human biospecimens
FFPE Tissue Blocks

  • Breast cancer
  • 50 subjects, 1 sample per subject
  • Stage I-III
  • Any grade
  • Treated or untreated subjects
  • Surgical resections
  • > 50% tumor content
  • < 10% necrosis
  • Data: Age, Gender, Country, Diagnosis, Cancer stage (TNM), Grade, Treatments (if applicable)

fresh tissue dish drawing source human biospecimens
Fresh Tissue

  • Lung cancer
  • 10 subjects, 1 sample per subject
  • NSCLC only
  • Any stage
  • Untreated subjects only
  • ~200 mg tissue per subject
  • Samples must arrive within 24-48h of collection
  • Data: Age, Gender, Country, Diagnosis, Cancer Stage and Grade, Tissue size (mg)

swab tube human biofluids research
Swabs

  • COVID-19
  • 100 subjects, 1 sample per subject
  • Nasal mid-turbinate samples
  • Symptomatic subjects only
  • Data: Age, Gender, Country

blood plasma sample human biofluids
Frozen Plasma

  • Healthy subjects
  • 30 subjects, 1 sample per subject
  • Blood collected into K2EDTA vacutainers
  • 3-4 mL plasma per subject
  • Samples shipped on dry ice
  • Data: Age, Gender, Country

fresh tissue dish drawing source human biospecimens
Fresh Tissue

  • Lung cancer
  • 10 subjects, 1 sample per subject
  • NSCLC only
  • Any stage
  • Untreated subjects only
  • ~200 mg tissue per subject
  • Samples must arrive within 24-48h of collection
  • Data: Age, Gender, Country, Diagnosis, Cancer Stage and Grade, Tissue size (mg)

ffpe tissue block drawing source human biospecimens
FFPE Tissue Blocks

  • Breast cancer
  • 50 subjects, 1 sample per subject
  • Stage I-III
  • Any grade
  • Treated or untreated subjects
  • Surgical resections
  • > 50% tumor content
  • < 10% necrosis
  • Data: Age, Gender, Country, Diagnosis, Cancer stage (TNM), Grade, Treatments (if applicable)

Example Biospecimen Requests

Cutting edge life science research often requires very specific biospecimen collection criteria.

We have the expertise to help you formulate the exact specifications to match your needs.

With our network of providers, we have the resources to supply even the most difficult to find samples.

blood plasma sample human biofluids
Frozen Plasma

  • Healthy subjects
  • 30 subjects, 1 sample per subject
  • Blood collected into K2EDTA vacutainers
  • 3-4 mL plasma per subject
  • Samples shipped on dry ice
  • Data: Age, Gender, Country

ffpe tissue block drawing source human biospecimens
FFPE Tissue Blocks

  • Breast cancer
  • 50 subjects, 1 sample per subject
  • Stage I-III
  • Any grade
  • Treated or untreated subjects
  • Surgical resections
  • > 50% tumor content
  • < 10% necrosis
  • Data: Age, Gender, Country, Diagnosis, Cancer stage (TNM), Grade, Treatments (if applicable)

fresh tissue dish drawing source human biospecimens
Fresh Tissue

  • Lung cancer
  • 10 subjects, 1 sample per subject
  • NSCLC only
  • Any stage
  • Untreated subjects only
  • ~200 mg tissue per subject
  • Samples must arrive within 24-48h of collection
  • Data: Age, Gender, Country, Diagnosis, Cancer Stage and Grade, Tissue size (mg)

swab tube human biofluids research
Swabs

  • COVID-19
  • 100 subjects, 1 sample per subject
  • Nasal mid-turbinate samples
  • Symptomatic subjects only
  • Data: Age, Gender, Country