Patient Education Materials

The Importance of Tissue in Research

The use of tissue for research is more important in today's world of genomics, genetics and rapidly developing science. We are moving from giving cancer treatments that kill cancer cells as well as many, many non-cancer cells to targeted treatments that act on the processes the cancer cells use to stay alive.

Critical to this shift to targeted treatments is the use of tissue in research. Tissue is used to understand the causes of cancer, identify targets for treatments, discover biomarkers that can identify characteristics of a cancer, and develop treatments that target a specific gene or signaling process.

The supply of tissue needed for research comes almost exclusively from patients and non-patients who donate their tissue. The need for advocates, patients and the general public to understand these types of information is critical if medical science to continue making progress by using donated tissue.

What is tissue and how is it collected, prepared, stored and used in research?
The role of tissue in treatment development process; how are new drugs approved.
Why it is important for you to consider donating tissue for research; what patient protections are in place to insure your safety?

The entire body of material called The Importance of Tissue in Research was developed by the Research Advocacy Network and reviewed by experts. (See acknowledgements). Because this material may be used in different ways by different people we have tried to put it in forms that are varied.

Please access the module from here. (Clicking on this link will open up the module in a new window )


Information will be posted as it becomes available. For questions, please contact Nettie Lay, Project Manager.