Biospecimens such as tissue and blood samples are critical resources for advancing genomic research into the many types of cancer, Alzheimer's disease, immune disorders, and other diseases. Researchers continue to make strides in unlocking the genetic alterations associated with specific cancers as well as advancing personalized medicine via the DNA sequencing and analysis of a patient's particular cancer tumor. Advanced sequencing techniques now allow researchers to obtain huge amounts of data on the genetic changes that may trigger cancer or other diseases.
The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) is one of the more recognized large-scale genomic research efforts aimed at collecting and analyzing a wide range of carefully-sourced specimens for studying cancer genetics and potential treatments. TCGA has a rigorous set of requirements when seeking samples for its decade-long genomic atlas collection. One of its requirements is that TCGA researchers must have a tumor sample that is paired with a normal secondary sample, preferably a blood specimen, to serve as a normal comparison with the tumor's genome.
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