AIDS MALIGNANCY BANK

NIH GUIDE, Volume 24, Number 40, November 24, 1995



P.T. 34



Keywords:

  AIDS 

  Biological Resources 



National Cancer Institute



The National Cancer Institute (NCI) announces that the AIDS

Malignancy Bank (AMB) is accepting requests for tissues and

biological fluids from investigators at-large.  This notice provides

a description of the AMB, application instructions, and directions to

access the database listing the available specimens.



The NCI established centers in the United States and its territories

for the collection and distribution of tissues, blood, and secretions

from patients with clinically characterized HIV-related malignancies

in 1994.  The AMB makes these tissues available to qualified

investigators in the United States for research on HIV-related

malignancies.  It is hoped that by providing access to these high

quality specimens, research in HIV-related malignancies will be

encouraged and facilitated.



The AMB contains formalin-fixed paraffin embedded tissues, fresh

frozen tissues, malignant cell suspensions, fine needle aspirates,

and cell lines from patients with HIV-related malignancies.  The bank

also contains serum, plasma, urine, bone marrow, cervical and anal

specimens, saliva, semen, and multi-site autopsy tissues from

patients with HIV-related malignancies including those who have

participated in clinical trials.  The bank has an associated database

that contains prognostic, staging, outcome, and treatment data on

patients from whom tissues were obtained.  Researchers who use the

specimens pay for  shipping of specimens.  A listing of the available

specimens can be obtained on the internet at

http://wwwicic.nci.nih.gov/amb/amb.html.



APPLICATION PROCEDURES



The AMB Steering Committee solicits Letters of Intent (LOI) from

investigators with a short lead time and with a minimum of paper work

that facilitates NIH AIDS grant submission deadlines.  The NCI AMB

will make public the specimens that are available for study in a

request for LOIs.  An investigator obtains and completes an LOI and

returns it to the NCI AMB by specified dates. Application forms are

also available on the internet.



REVIEW CONSIDERATIONS



The LOIs are reviewed by an independent Research Evaluation and

Decision Panel (REDP) composed of experts in the field of HIV-related

malignancy research. The scientific merit of the application, the

experience of the investigator and the statistical validity of the

study are some of the factors that are used in the review of the LOI.

A priority score is attached and forwarded to the AMB Steering

Committee to confirm that the specimens are available.  Low priority

studies will not receive specimens and even high priority studies

will not receive specimens if unavailable.  Investigators who request

samples in excess of that required to accomplish the study, those who

have not correctly determined the sample size necessary to complete

the study, or have not provided sufficient detail to assess the

validity of the sample requests will be denied the samples.



If the specimens requested are available, the LOIs with the highest

priority are provided a letter of approval that commits the AMB to

provide the necessary specimens once funding of the study has been

approved.  This letter of approval may be incorporated into NIH or

other grant applications.



After a notification is received by the AMB Steering Committee that

funding exists or was obtained, specimens are released to the

investigator.  Investigators who fail to obtain funding within six

months of receiving the letter of approval will have the approval

voided and those tissues will become available to other investigators

in the next cycle.  Since this LOI is not meant to provide an

extensive review of the science involved, a detailed analysis of the

LOI and the reason for denial will not be provided.



INQUIRIES



Additional Information and application forms may be obtained from:



Ellen Feigal, M.D.

Division of Cancer Treatment

National Cancer Institute

6130 Executive Boulevard, Room 741 MSC 7436

Bethesda, MD  20892

Telephone:  (301) 496-4844

FAX:  (301) 402-0556

Email:  feigale@dct.nci.nih.gov



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