Strategic Alliance Between BioServe And University of Massachusetts Medical School

BioServe and the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) today announced the formation of an exclusive strategic alliance aimed at easing a bottleneck in oncology research programs worldwide. Through this agreement BioServe will supplement its clinical-grade biomaterial in its Global BioRepository with a variety of biospecimen samples from the UMass Cancer Center Tissue Bank, which consists of tissues and other specimens from over twenty different types of cancer. The ability to access UMass samples as part of BioServe’s repository services provides cancer researchers access to expanded quantities of a range of top-quality cancer biomaterial, collected and stored in accordance with industry-standard best practice guidelines.

The scope and superb quality of the specimens collected by UMass Cancer Center tissue bank is impressive. Their tissue bank includes nearly every major solid tumor type, as well as most hematological malignancies. Complementing our biorepository, which already features access to samples from Fox Chase Cancer Center, with UMass samples provides cancer researchers with a unique resource with the potential to accelerate discovery and impact patient treatment decisions downstream," said Rama Modali, President of BioServe.

"Our goal is to facilitate basic science, clinical research and translational studies by providing researchers with the ability to obtain and study human tissues," said Dr. Stephen R. Lyle, MD, PhD, Director of the UMass Cancer Center Tissue Bank and associate professor of cancer biology and pathology at UMMS. "Partnering with BioServe enables us to dramatically extend the reach of our samples for the benefit of researchers around the world, whether they work in big pharma or academic research institutions."