OICR’s Tissue Portal is a new central entry and exit point for human tissue derived samples handled at OICR. This will serve as a gateway for tissue-based research projects to access over 100 services and resources at OICR being made available through the OICR Collaborative Research Resources on a cost-sharing basis. The Tissue Portal will standardize and streamline the storage, processing and distribution of samples for collaborative research studies at OICR.

The overarching mandate of the Tissue Portal is to provide governance and biospecimen services for samples received at OICR. It will ensure that only samples with relevant documentation are received at the Institute and provide Tissue Portal users with the highest standards of quality control, consistent sample processing and sample management.

The Tissue Portal will serve as a single point of contact for OICR collaborators, providing access to a number of sample processing services, including DNA and RNA extraction, laser capture microdissection, histology and others. It will provide a pipeline of services and resources for tissue-based cancer research projects through the Diagnostic Development, Genomics and Informatics Programs.

Day-to-day operations, staff and infrastructure to support of the Tissue Portal will be provided by the OICR Diagnostic Development program.

Please note: The Tissue Portal does not receive or store any Personal Health Information (PHI) or clinical data and does not receive, bank or process non-human derived samples.

For more information about the Tissue Portal and services available: tissue.portal@oicr.on.ca