In the fall of 2012, discarded sample collection, formerly under the Crimson Core for NIH and internally funded investigators, transferred to the Partners Biobank. At Brigham and Women’s Hospital, the Crimson Core continues to provide dedicated processing of clinical trials, handling of requests for infectious agents, and requests for non-blood fluid samples from the BWH Clinical Laboratories.

Virtually all samples submitted for testing to the clinical laboratories at Brigham and Women's and Massachusetts General Hospitals are available, either through the Partners Biobank or through the Crimson Core Facility. Sample requests typically range from whole blood in Purple Top tubes (EDTA fixative) to microbial isolates. Discarded blood samples range from 24 to 72 hours old.

The IRB limits access to discarded samples that are fully anonymized (we are unable to re-identify donor patients under any condition) when patients are not consented. However, in limited circumstances, the IRB will provided a time-limited link to Patient Health Information in order to perform chart reviews or to obtain consent from patients to access additional information. Please contact us to discuss your specific needs.  The IRB allows access to discarded specimens when patients have provided consent, such as specimens in the Partners Biobank.  These specimens can be identified.

Please contact us for a fee schedule. The costs to obtain, process and ship discarded samples can vary, depending on the type of sample required, the processing involved and the amount of supplemental information that needs to be gathered.

The related Core Facilities offers support services to a wide variety of clinical trials at both BWH and MGH, including 1) sample processing and shipment, 2) short and intermediate term sample storage, and 3) specialized processing of non-blood materials and derivatives. Both cores offer local research support to groups conducting clinical trials and other types of clinical research studies. Please contact us for additional information.

The BWH and MGH Pathology Departments manage separate cores to handle the procurement of fresh tissue samples and access to frozen and paraffin-fixed tissue archives. Please contact us for more information on how to access these resources.