Skip to main content

Biospecimen Research Database

An NCI database of curated peer-reviewed articles and community-contributed protocols for specimen collection and handling.

Start exploring:How could pre-analytical factors be affecting your analytical results?

Search thousands of peer-reviewed article curations and SOPs for the collection, preservation, processing, storage, and analysis of human biospecimens. Find the research you need to understand and mitigate the effects of these pre-analytical factors (handling procedures) on your biospecimen's quality.

Search ArticlesSearch SOPs

Find the evidence you need to answer your specimen-related questions

The database contains curations of peer-reviewed primary and review articles as well as Standard Operating Protocols (SOPs) in the field of human Biospecimen Science. This field studies how specimen handling—from patient-related details to storage—affects molecular, cellular, and morphological data.

Referenced as a Literature and SOP Search Engine with more than 2 million SOP downloads since 2015, search the BRD to find out what you're missing.

Expert-Curated Scientific Content

All articles and SOPs are expertly curated and summarized by a Ph.D. Scientist. You can find answers to your questions by searching for specific biomarkers, biospecimen types (e.g., plasma, saliva, bone marrow), diagnoses, and assays.

You can also search by Pre-analytical Factors, which are all workflow steps that occur before analysis. These include:

  • Pre-acquisition and Acquisition (patient details and how the sample is collected).
  • Preservation and Processing (how the sample is stabilized and prepared).
  • Storage and Analysis (how the sample is kept and tested).

By understanding these factors, you can better account for variables that might impact your research results.

Become Involved

Contribute: Send your article suggestions, SOP submissions, or questions by email to ncibbrb@nih.gov.

Cite the BRD: When referencing the BRD as a search engine or an online source for your SOP, please include:

  • Database Title: Biospecimen Research Database
  • Publisher: Biorepositories and Biospecimen Research Branch, National Cancer Institute
  • URL: https://brd.cancer.gov