Building infrastructure to accelerate rare cancer research
Since 2014, we have worked tirelessly with patients, patient advocacy foundations, researchers, medical institutions, and more recently biotech and pharma to lead a collective mission to find a cure for rare cancers.
Our keystone initiative provides researchers with access to the largest patient-directed platform for living rare cancer tumor tissue, matched germline samples and clinically annotated data enabling the rapid advancement of scientific discovery.
At our new Pattern Biobank, we believe the key to accelerating rare cancer research is through the curation and sharing of clinical samples and data.
Standard Sample Types
Fresh tissue (tumor & matched normal)
Fresh blood (EDTA and/or Streck tubes)
Pre-processed tissue (FFPE blocks, flash frozen, frozen in cryoprotectant)
Pre-processed blood (PBMCs and plasma)
Contact us about adding additional sample types
Our data commons is unique in its ability to accept any data, in any format and harmonize it with others from across the field. No more standardizing formats, outdated schemas, or unusable data. Our platform is equipped to handle any type of biological or clinical data related to cancer including:
Biological Data
Both processed data (such as BAM, VCF, and TSV files) and raw data (including FASTQ files).
Clinical Data
Imaging files (e.g., DICOM) and clinical records that can contribute to meaningful research.
Our Work
Rare cancers represent 27% of all cancer diagnoses, yet most rare cancers do not have effective treatments. With limited information about these diseases and limited access to tissue samples and clinical data, researchers are struggling to make progress in improving patient outcomes.
We are building the tools and infrastructure to provide the research community with the vital building blocks needed to make substantial progress in cancer research and develop potential cures.
Our broad access to patients with rare cancers provides researchers with unprecedented access to fresh tissue and an extensive collection of paired clinical and molecular data on rare cancers.
120+
Partner Institutions within the USA
95%
Tissue Collection Success Rate
65+
Rare Cancer Models Developed
Partner with us!
It’s an incredibly exciting time for the rare cancer research community. The speed at which we can turn data into new treatments has gotten faster than ever. We’d love to discuss your work and how we may be able to help expedite progress.