Pathology as the cornerstone of human tissue banking: experiences in the post-genomics era

Abstract

Unprecedented advances in biomolecular technology have greatly increased the power and precision of analytical tools used in cancer research and have accelerated the drive toward personalised medicine. Human specimens that are analysed using these new and developing technology platforms have emerged as a critical resource for basic and translational research in cancer because they are a direct source of molecular data from which targets for therapy, detection, and prevention are identified. As a result this has stimulated a growing demand for carefully collected, appropriately stored and well-annotated tumour specimens worldwide. This requirement has put pathologists in the centre of the per..