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Last Updated: 06/06/22

Biorepositories and Biospecimen Research Branch (BBRB)

The Biorepositories & Biospecimen Research Branch (BBRB) develops biorepository standards and facilitates Biospecimen Science studies that form the basis of evidence-based practices to guide clinical cancer research and other biomedical studies which utilize biospecimens.

  • Develops and disseminates the NCI Best Practices for Biospecimen Resources, a comprehensive set of best practices for the consent, collection, processing, storage, and distribution of biospecimens for cancer research;
  • Sponsors, conducts, and collaborates on Biospecimen Science studies to: assess the effects of specific biospecimen pre-analytical factors on the outcome of studies conducted for clinical diagnostic and research purposes; define the most significant pre-analytical factors for prospective collection of tissues, blood, and bodily fluids; and develop biospecimen quality indicators for specific analytical platforms;
  • Develops evidence-based biospecimen collection practices to bridge the gap between existing clinical practice and emerging technologies for research and genetically informed medicine.

For more information on BBRB, please visit the BBRB webpage.

BBRB Staff

Name Position Primary Email Phone
Helen Moore, Ph.D. Branch Chief moorehe@mail.nih.gov (240) 276-5713
Lokesh Agrawal, Ph.D. Program Director lokesh.agrawal@nih.gov (240) 276-5718
Ping Guan, Ph.D. Program Director ping.guan@nih.gov (240) 276-5711
Abhi Rao, Ph.D. Program Director abhi.rao@nih.gov (240) 276-5715
Veena Gopalakrishnan, Ph.D. (Contractor) Scientific Program Manager veena.gopalakrishnan@nih.gov (240) 276-5123
Pamela Malone Administrative Support pamm.malone@nih.gov (240) 276-6666
Kelly Bonner Engel, Ph.D. (Contractor) Lead Curator for the Biospecimen Research Database engelk@mail.nih.gov (301) 496-2741
Sarah Greytak, Ph.D. (Contractor) Curator for the Biospecimen Research Database Sarah.greytak@nih.gov (617) 797-4764