Abstract 1787A: Puerto Rico BioBank: The first cancer tissue biobank at a US Hispanic-serving institution

There are currently 580 million people worldwide considered to be of Hispanic origin. In the US Hispanics represent 17% of the population and its largest ethnic minority. Funded by NIH, Moffitt Cancer Center (Florida) and Ponce School of Medicine (Puerto Rico) initiated a partnership that conducts high-quality research, training, and community outreach focusing on cancer health disparities among Hispanics. A central component to this partnership is the establishment of the first cancer-focused biobank in the island, the Puerto Rico BioBank (PRBB). The PRBB has actively recruited cancer patients since 2009; over these years we have established essential collaborations and a functional infrastructure. Eligible cancer patients provide informed consent and agree to donate blood samples (for DNA) and solid tissue(fresh-frozen & paraffin embedded). Additionally, patients complete a comprehensive questionnaire related to clinical and lifestyle factors. Biospecimen collection at the PHSU follow standard operating procedures that mirror and often exceed NCI biobaking best practices for biospecimens and ensuring patient data confidentiality. Currently, the PRBB has over 1,100 consented patients (65.8% females, 34.2% males) all of Hispanic origin. The most common banked tumors are Breast, Prostate, Lung and Endometrium, although other tumors are represented. All the information and data are entered into a biospecimen management system (BMS) developed by the partnership, which allows for real-time biospecimen inventory management and reporting functionality. In conclusion, the Puerto Rican patient samples banked in the PRBB are a unique resource that can support multiple molecular and population studies. Also, a Hispanic-specific biobank can foster collaborations among local and international researchers that may facilitate the application of novel molecular techniques to solving cancer health disparities among Hispanics. Citation Format: Patricia Casbas-Hernandez, Idhaliz Flores, Edward Seijo, Domenico Coppola, Steve Eschrich, Rodrigo Carvajal-Pelaez, Sonia Abac, Dagmar Correa, Edna Gordian, Teresita Munoz-Antonia. Puerto Rico BioBank: The first cancer tissue biobank at a US Hispanic-serving institution. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 1787A.