Conditions of Tumour Bank Sample Use

Samples from the CHW Tumour Bank are provided with the intention of facilitating research into childhood cancer. The samples must be used in the manner described in the application as provided to the Tumour Bank Committee. Any change in the project direction must be communicated in writing to the Tumour Bank Committee who reserve the right to withdraw support. Samples must not be given or sold to other investigators, nor used to produce commercial products.

CHW Tumour Bank samples are provided without revealing the patient's name or date of birth. No attempts should be made by the Investigator to identify the patient or to determine other patient information. If additional information is required, it should be requested through the Tumour Bank.

Whilst the majority of tumours are easily distinguished from surrounding normal tissue, this is often not so for the small round cell tumours such as the soft tissue sarcomas. All care is taken by Pathologists to select tumour tissue, however the Tumour Bank and the Pathology Department of The Children's Hospital at Westmead will not accept any responsibility for the inadvertent provision of incorrect tissue. In addition, whilst an attempt is made to freeze the samples as rapidly as possible, the Tumour Bank does not guarantee that mRNA will be obtained from samples.

While samples are not stored from patients with known HIV, Tuberculosis or Hepatitis B, the screening of patients for the presence of such pathogens is not routine. All samples should be handled with the utmost care to prevent infection with pathogens. No responsibility will be taken by the Tumour Bank for injury or illness that may occur to staff handling the samples.

The costs of packaging and transport of the specimens will be borne by the individual/institution requesting the samples and not by the Tumour Bank.

The Investigator/s are required to provide a report at the completion of the project indicating the percentage of samples which have provided useful information, whether the study is still continuing. You will not be requested to reveal the results of the study in this report. At study completion, any remaining samples should be returned to the Tumour Bank for use by others.

Depending upon the extent of contribution of the Tumour Bank to the project, the Investigator will be required to either (i) acknowledge the Tumour Bank in any publications or presentations resulting from work on Tumour Bank samples, or (ii) enter into a collaboration with the appropriate Hospital staff member/s. The type of recognition required will be decided in a case by case manner, at the time of application approval, and throughout the duration of the project. Failure to recognise the Tumour Bank in the manner decided by the Committee will render the individual and /or the institution ineligible for future Tumour Bank applications.

A copy of any publication resulting from use of Tumour Bank samples should be forwarded to the Tumour Bank.

Samples will not be provided until a signed copy of the Agreement has been received by the Tumour Bank.