The Komen Tissue Bank is transforming breast cancer research by offering normal, high-quality, richly annotated tissue samples to scientists worldwide. It is critically important that investigators use these specimens to conduct research that will provide insight into breast oncogenesis.
We follow up with our donors by contacting them every year for updates to the rich medical history we have already compiled. This makes us not only a biorepository, but also a longitudinal study.
Using healthy, normal tissue as controls in breast cancer research
Sample types
KTB collects the following types of samples:
- Fresh frozen tissue
- Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue
- Cryopreserved tissue
- Blood products, including whole blood, plasma, serum, and DNA from lymphocytes
Our samples are collected, processed, and stored following stringent SOPs based on biorepository best practices.
A valuable control in breast cancer research
Research has shown that normal tissue collected by the Komen Tissue Bank is a valuable control, showing significantly fewer abnormalities than the other samples previously described as normal.
Since the KTB was founded, more than 80 published research articles have reported significant findings, such as:
- Normal tissue from the KTB had considerably fewer abnormalities than samples of tissue previously deemed to be “normal.”
- Normal tissue and tissue adjacent to the tumor had many significant differences.
- Within 12 months of giving birth the breast completely morphed back to pre-pregnancy state, and 80 percent to 90 percent of tissue grown in preparation for lactation was killed by the body.
- 255 genes were differently expressed based on menstrual cycle phase, and birth control did not significantly change gene expression.
- Higher levels of certain hormones in premenopausal and postmenopausal women were linked with higher duct counts, suggesting that hormones may influence breast cancer risk by delaying duct atrophy and involution.
Cell lines from cryopreserved tissue
Our tissue bank includes several cell lines cultivated from KTB cryopreserved breast tissue samples by Komen Tissue Bank Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Hari Nakshatri.
These cell lines:
- Represent normal counterparts of intrinsic subtypes of breast cancer
- Are enriched for luminal progenitor cells (CD49f+/EpCAM+)
- Express luminal markers such as FOXA1 and GATA3
- Include PROCR+/EpCAM- cells
These cell lines can be transformed with a defined set of oncogenes. If you are interested in learning more about these cell lines, please contact Rana German at rgerman@iu.edu.
Researcher Spotlights: Alexandra White, PhD, MSP.H
National Institutes of Health Environment & Cancer Epidemiology Group
Dr. White s group at NIH identifies novel and modifiable environmental exposures that are related to women’s cancer risk and to explore underlying biologic mechanisms.
Single cell atlas of the normal breast
The Komen Tissue Bank has published a single cell atlas of the normal breast, including a downloadable, searchable dataset:
Bhat-Nakshatri P, et al. A single-cell atlas of the healthy breast tissues reveals clinically relevant clusters of breast epithelial cells. Cell Rep Med. 2021 Mar 16;2(3):100219.
We encourage investigators to verify the expression of genes of their interest in the normal breast before requesting tissues for mRNA or protein expression analysis.
