Institutional Biospecimen Bank

Among the most valuable resources to our investigators is human tissue for use in basic science, translational, and clinical studies, and clinical trials.

The mission of the UNMC Institutional Biospecimen Bank (IBB) is to procure and coordinate distribution of fresh frozen human tissue in an optimal state of preservation for requesting investigators without impacting diagnostic quality, accuracy and safety in anatomic pathology. The IBB also offers sample management services, clinical trial specimen support and has certified shippers on staff. Additional services offered include biospecimen DNA or RNA extraction, sectioning of frozen tissues, short-term tissue culture, cytogenetic/molecular cytogenetic analysis, and tissue preparation via investigator-driven protocols. Learn more here.

Dr. Kurt Fisher is the director of the facility. A multidisciplinary oversight committee reviews tissue requests to prioritize and ensure equitable usage. The facility requires proper Institutional Review Board approval prior to release of human tissues for research purposes. The facility is staffed by highly skilled technologists with expertise in pathology, cytogenetics, and molecular biology. The facility can provide basic demographic and histopathologic information on samples through a confidential database so that findings from basic research can be correlated with clinical data while maintaining strict patient confidentiality.

IBB Governance Committee

The UNMC Institutional Biospecimen Bank governance committee provides ethical, scientific, and strategic oversight of the institutional research biospecimen bank. The committee ensures that biospecimen collection, storage, use, sharing, and disposal are conducted in accordance with applicable laws, institutional policies, and best practices in biomedical research.

Committee Members 

• Dinesh Pradhan, MD, chair, Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
• Kurt Fisher, MD, PhD, vice chair and ex officio member, Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
• Surinder Batra, PhD, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
• Jie Chen, MD, PhD, Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
• Brittney Dickey, PhD, Epidemiology, College of Public Health
• Quan Ly, MD, Surgical Oncology, Surgery
• Shania McClure, MBA, ex officio member, Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
• Rusty McCullough, MD, Associate Vice Chancellor for Clinical Research
• Nicole Shonka, MD, Hematology/Oncology, Internal Medicine
• Saber Tadros, MD, PhD, ex officio member, Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
• Julie Vose, MD, Hematology/Oncology, Internal Medicine (LSG)
• Shanxiang Zhang, MD, PhD, Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

Contact Us

For inquiries or assistance, please call us at 402-559-5086.