How long did it take to go from concept to an up-and-running tissue bank?
Believe it or not, it only took us seven months from concept to our first tissue transfer. We started the Consortium with four academic Member Institutions, with each institution helping to accrue patient tissue samples into the MMRF Tissue Bank. Today, the MMRC includes 11 Member Institutions in the U.S. and Canada, an expansion that has enabled the more rapid accrual of samples into the Tissue Bank. To date, we have accrued more than 700 bone marrow aspirates and matched peripheral blood samples, with ongoing collection of tissue samples at our Member Institutions nationwide. To further accelerate accrual, we have also launched a direct-to-patient program to enable myeloma patients to donate their tissue to the MMRC Tissue Bank. So, how does the Tissue Bank work? Anytime a myeloma patient treated at an MMRC Member Institution has a bone marrow draw as part of his or her routine care, he or she is asked to donate an extra sample for the Tissue Bank. Every week, the MMRC sends out a ki
