The Cancer Moonshot Biobank was started by the National Cancer Institute to help researchers better understand and treat cancer. The Moonshot Biobank will ask cancer patients across the United States to donate biospecimens (blood and small pieces of tissue removed during medical procedures) and associated health information. The Moonshot Biobank will collect biospecimens longitudinally, that is, over the whole period of time that a person is getting cancer treatment. The biospecimens and associated health information will be made available to qualified cancer scientists to help those researchers learn how cancer grows and changes in people, and to find new cancer treatments. To help make sure that cancer patients from all population groups can potentially benefit from the research, cancer patients from diverse racial, cultural, ethnic and socioeconomic groups will be asked to participate in the Biobank.

This 5-year effort will support cancer research by establishing an infrastructure for longitudinal biospecimen collections from a diverse patient population receiving standard of care cancer treatment at multiple medical institutions. The Moonshot Biobank will work in collaboration with community hospitals to engage eligible patients and collect biospecimens and associated data. Samples will be stored at a central location (biobank). The biobank will perform pathology quality control and distribute biospecimens. A clinical laboratory will perform genetic testing on tumor tissue and return results to the participant's healthcare provider. The tumor genetic test results may provide more information for cancer treatment decisions and may help researchers better understand how genes within a tumor can affect cancer progression and treatment.

For more information visit: https://moonshotbiobank.cancer.gov/