Skip directly to site content Skip directly to search


Español  Other Languages


Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC twenty four seven. Saving Lives, Protecting People
 Search
		×
			NIOSH
			NIOSH
				All CDC
				Submit
			For a full list of topics:A-Z Index
			Advanced Search
		Advanced Search


The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)


Section Navigation
			
			CDC Home








National Mesothelioma Virtual Bank						Print
																Related Pages
										On This Page
			BackgroundPurposeNational Mesothelioma Virtual BankAdditional Resources
		
Bar chart on a computer screen
Background
Mesothelioma affects 4,000 people in the United States each year, with a dismal outcome for those diagnosed with this type of cancer. Mesothelioma is a cancer of the mesothelium, which is the membrane in the lining of the chest or abdomen. It affects five-times more men than women. Presently, treatment for this disease generally involves surgery (e.g., pneumonectomy), radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Mesothelioma is almost always directly linked to asbestos exposure. Low-incidence rates and court litigation issues have limited the number of mesothelioma cases available for banking or tissue collection and storage. Research in this field, and ultimately patients, would benefit greatly from a significant increase in the number of abstracted cases available for study, including the incorporation of more clinical information from patient records.
Purpose
NIOSH provides extramural funding for the National Mesothelioma Virtual Bank (NMVB) for Translational Research to serve as a resource for researchers and the clinical science community to advance biomedical research for malignant mesothelioma. The NMVB can provide mesothelioma biospecimens (tissue samples), demographic data and clinical data. The virtual registry and tissue bank also serves as a virtual repository and offers a library of reagents and data (such as genomic, transcriptomic and proteomic data) for sharing among investigators. The NMVB may help identify and develop early markers of disease, biomarkers of disease stage and prognosis, as well as new or improved treatment methods. It does so by allowing access to biospecimens for research on biomarkers in early detection of malignant mesothelioma, susceptibility, epidemiologic characteristics (such as occupational history and death certificate information), and clinical factors (such as improvements in prognosis as a result of improvements in treatment).
National Mesothelioma Virtual Bank
Developed in 2006, the NMVB is led by the collaborative effort of the Departments of Biomedical Informatics, and Pathology at the University of Pittsburgh. The NMVB provides mesothelioma tissue samples with high-quality and well-characterized multimodal annotated data to researchers. Specifically, the NMVB collects and distributes tumor tissue and blood samples to the research community from consented patients. The specimens are stored with de-identified clinical data and made available for research. The NMVB continues advancing biomedical research for malignant mesothelioma by expanding the collection of biospecimens, related data, and other information. The NMVB gives researchers access to clinical data (stage, treatment, and survival information) associated with a multitude of biospecimens and provides associated demographic data such as age, sex, race, occupational history, and other epidemiologic information. It also serves as a repository, providing a library of information on substances, chemical compounds, and other data related to mesothelioma that can be shared among investigators. Participating institutions in this virtual registry and tissue bank share independent collections of tissues and relevant information for use by the research community through a centralized network of collaborators in the registry. This registry is used for data recording and collection related to each tissue sample. Each participating institution is responsible for entering data and updates into the registry for their samples. However, each uses common data elements and state-of-the-art security for protection of sensitive or personally identifiable data, as appropriate. NMVB’s work supports research that addresses the complex mechanisms and biological changes associated with mesothelioma and its disease progression.
Overall, NMVB aims to support research that will benefit patients who have mesothelioma and prevent future development of the disease. The NVMB team strongly believes that progress in translational and clinical research — in cancer and other disease areas — depends on the ability of researchers to access high-quality tissue associated with meaningful annotation. NMVB may ultimately help improve the quality of life of current and former workers who have malignant mesothelioma.
Investigators can search the NMVB study database to identify and request data and biospecimens via the NMVB website. This online data access application provides convenient query access to the data repository. Below is a summary of type of data and samples that NMVB provides, along with participating institutions.**Collaborative Sites:**
University of Pittsburgh
University of Maryland
New York University
Roswell Park Cancer Institute
University of Pennsylvania
Baylor College of Medicine**Blood Products:**
Buffy Coat
PBMC
Plasma
Red Blood Cells
Serum
Whole Blood**Quick Stats:**
2026 Samples
71% Male
85% White
72% Non-Spanish Non-Hispanic
34% Prospective cases
**Biopsy and Resected Types:**
Bulk Frozen
Fresh Frozen
Glass Slides
Paraffin**Contact:**
Mesotissue.orgBecich@pitt.eduNIOSH Sponsored State Occupational Health Safety Surveillance Program 2019
References:
Wilson RA, Chapman WW, DeFries SJ, Becich MJ, Chapman BE. [2010] Automated ancillary cancer history classification for mesothelioma patients from free-text clinical reports. Journal of Pathology Informatics. 1(24). https://doi.org/10.4103/2153-3539.71065Additional Resources
Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation
National Cancer Institute
American Cancer Society
							
					
							Last Reviewed:  August 30, 2023						Source: 	National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
					Facebook
        Twitter
        LinkedIn
        Syndicate homeNIOSH Extramural Research and Training Programs (ERTP)
Funding Opportunitiesplus icon
Research Grantsplus icon
Past Funding – Research Grants
Cooperative Agreementsplus icon
Past Funding – Cooperative Agreements
Workforce Developmentplus icon
Past Funding – Training Project Grants
Conference Grantsplus icon
Common Questions and Answers: NIOSH Funding Announcements
Past Funding – Conference Grants
Common Questions and Answers: NIOSH Funding Announcements
Common Questions and Answers: NIOSH Funding Announcements
Grants Process
SOHSS Committee Roster
Research, Training Grants & State Surveillanceplus icon
Research
Agricultural Centers
National Construction Center
Total Worker Health Centers
Education and Research Centers (ERCs) Portfolio
Training Project Grants (TPG)
Emergency Responder Training
State Surveillance
Small Business Research
Miner Safety and Health Training Program
Commercial Fishing Occupational Safety Research and Training Programplus icon
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
National Mesothelioma Virtual Bank
Extramural Performance Data & Reportsplus icon
Extramural Research and Training Program Annual Reportplus icon
Fiscal Year 2022 Annual Report
Fiscal Year 2021 Annual Report
Fiscal Year 2020 Annual Report
Fiscal Year 2019 Annual Report
Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report
Fiscal Year 2017 Annual Report
Success Rates
About the NIOSH Office Of Extramural Programs
Notices & News Archive
Expanding Research Partnerships Follow NIOSH Facebook
Pinterest
Twitter
YouTube
 NIOSH Homepage NIOSH A-Z
Workplace Safety & Health Topics
Publications and Products
Programs
Contact NIOSH


About CDC
					Contact Us
					800-232-4636
 Facebook Twitter Instagram LinkedIn Youtube Pinterest Snapchat
 CONTACT CDC
				Contact Us
							Call 800-232-4636
							Email Us
			ABOUT CDC
				About CDC
							Jobs
							Funding
			POLICIES
				Accessibility
							External Links
							Privacy
							Policies
							No Fear Act
							FOIA
							OIG
							Nondiscrimination
							Vulnerability Disclosure Policy
			CONNECT WITH US
				Facebook
								Twitter
								Instagram
								LinkedIn
							Youtube
								Pinterest
								Snapchat
								Email
			LANGUAGES
				Español
							繁體中文
							Tiếng Việt
							한국어
							Tagalog
							Русский
							العربية
							Kreyòl Ayisyen
							Français
							Polski
							Português
							Italiano
							Deutsch
							日本語
							فارسی
							English


U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
			Accessibility
			External Links
			Privacy
			Policies
			No Fear Act
			FOIA
			Nondiscrimination
			OIG
			Vulnerability Disclosure Policy
			USA.gov


Exit Notification / Disclaimer Policy Close
 Links with this icon  indicate that you are leaving the CDC website. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cannot attest to the accuracy of a non-federal website.
				Linking to a non-federal website does not constitute an endorsement by CDC or any of its employees of the sponsors or the information and products presented on the website.
				You will be subject to the destination website's privacy policy when you follow the link.
				CDC is not responsible for Section 508 compliance (accessibility) on other federal or private website. Website Disclaimers
 Cancel Continue