BioMER
https://cancer.uiowa.edu/biospecimen-procurement-and-molecular-epidemiology-resources-biomer
The Biospecimen Procurement and Molecular Epidemiology Resource (BioMER) provides Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center members with IRB-compliant, clinically annotated, quality-ensured biomaterials to facilitate research objectives. These materials include tissues which are distributed as fresh, frozen, or paraffin-embedded specimens, and serum, plasma, and germline DNA, all linkable to tumor samples and clinical data catalogued in coordination with the tissue.
The BioMER is a new Shared Resource resulting from the merger and expansion of the Tissue Procurement Core and Molecular Epidemiology Resource. It serves as a single point of entry for investigators requesting specimens for research use.
Iowa Cancer Registry
https://shri.public-health.uiowa.edu/about-icr/
The Iowa Cancer Registry is a population-based cancer registry that has served the State of Iowa since 1973. The ICR has been a member of the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program since its inception in 1973.
The program was begun following the National Cancer Act of 1972 and was designed to represent geographic regions and subpopulations of the USA. Regions were selected on the basis of their ability to operate and maintain high-quality population-based cancer reporting systems. Iowa was selected as one of the initial 7 SEER members to represent the heartland, and today continues to operate an excellent registry.
Women’s Health Tissue Repository
The Women’s Health Tissue Repository includes the Maternal Fetal Tissue Bank, the Paternal Contributions to Children’s Health Biobank, the Well Woman Bank, the Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Biobank, and the Gynecologic Malignancies Biobank. Together, these biobanks house samples from all stages of women’s lives and have deep clinical annotations that enhance our ability to quickly translate our basic research into new ideas to improve health.
Iowa Neuropathology Resource Laboratory
The Iowa Neuropathology Resource Laboratory (INRL) is a central hub for resources related to neuropathology research and education and serves as the brain bank for the University of Iowa. INRL provides collaborators with access to donated human brain tissue, as well as the services needed to stain and analyze the tissue to answer their questions regarding diseases affecting the brain and spinal cord. INRL also offers consultations on projects requiring neuropathology expertise.
The collective goal is to work towards cures for neurologic diseases such as Huntington’s Disease (HD), Juvenile-onset Huntington Disease (JHD), Myotonic Dystrophy (DM1) and Neonatal Hypoxic-ischemic injury by collaborating with patients and families to make brain tissue available for research. INRL provides tissue to researchers within the University of Iowa and around the country and the world.
Below are videos from presentations done in summer 2020 about The University of Iowa BioBanks.