Tissue Donation Resources
Tissue donation is an important part of cancer research. It can be meaningful to both patients and researchers.
Learn more about tissue donation and your decision to participate in cancer research.
Video Resources
Inspiring Stories About Tissue Use in Research
“At one of the meetings, a researcher spoke of the lack of live tissue available to use in research and the importance of using live tissue to study how cancer cells operate,” Van Lokeren said. “I shared my experience of being asked to donate tissue after my initial breast cancer diagnosis, in 2014, at a different institution.”
After that meeting, UNC Health surgical oncologist Philip Spanheimer, MD, a researcher at UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, contacted Van Lokeren about her previous experience.
“We realized we were missing opportunities to engage patients in the ability to participate in and increase the impact of research,” Spanheimer said. “We began looking for ways to more actively enroll patients by developing the partnership in research.”
From there, the PART (Patients and Researchers Together) Program began.
Read Missy's story on UNC Health Talk
Clinical trials at UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center
The UNC Lineberger Clinical Trials Office is the clinical research management team and turns research concepts into operational clinical trials.
Learn more about clinic trials at UNC Lineberger and find patient resources by visiting the UNC Lineberger Clinical Trials Office website.
Research For Me
Research for Me is dedicated to connecting you with research opportunities at UNC-Chapel Hill, UNC Health and across North Carolina.
Search for cancer clinical trials at UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center
Study spotlight: UNC Breast Tumor Donation Program
For many cancer patients and their families, helping others with cancer is an important part of the journey.
Taking part in a research study is one way to leave a lasting legacy. The UNC Breast Tumor Donation Program allows metastatic breast cancer patients donate tissue after death.
Brochures about tissue donation for research
Providing Your Tissue for Research: What You Need To Know by the National Cancer Institute
6 pages —This booklet from NCI describes the tissue donation process, how the tissue is used in research, and how patient privacy is protected.
The Importance of Tissue Samples in Research by the Research Advocacy Network
12 pages — This booklet from the Research Advocacy Network is about tissue donation for cancer research. The booklet describes the tissue donation process and how tissue is used in research.
Count Me In: Patient-Partnered Research
Count Me In is deeply committed to making every patient’s experience count. Through participation, patients are empowered to help shape and propel research toward future changes in the course of cancer.
ShareForCures is a breast cancer research registry by Susan G. Komen, connecting researchers with information from people who have or had breast cancer.
Cancer Precision Medicine Commons
The Cancer Precision Medicine Commons is a place for organization leaders to share information and explore opportunities for cross-tumor collaborations.
Their goal is to increase knowledge about, access to, and appropriate use of the latest oncology precision medicine tools.
A tissue donation program to study metastatic breast cancer.