Serving the research community

onCore UK is a national initiative created to address one of the major problems for cancer research in the 21^st century - the limited availability of carefully collected, high-quality human biosamples associated with clinical data about the donor. Scientists have identified this problem as the leading barrier to post-genomics cancer research.

Human biosamples are samples of any cells, or parts of cells, or liquid secretions from the human body. The biochemical and molecular makeup of such samples reflects the condition of the donor before and at the point of donation.

There is worldwide recognition of the complex issues surrounding research based on human biosamples and the repositories that process, store and distribute them to researchers. The value of a human biosample depends on both the quality of the sample itself and the quality of the clinical and analytical data associated with it. Its value is further defined by the extent to which the ethical, legal, and policy issues that govern its use in research have been addressed. In short, the complexity surrounding human biosamples is multi-factorial and requires a multidisciplinary approach that works closely with the donors to address all these challenges.

onCore UK will serve cancer researchers wherever they are – whether in universities, hospitals and research institutes or in the commercial sector.

We are committed to facilitating cancer research by our clients. Requests for samples will therefore be considered on the basis of need, availability and the quality and ethics of the proposed use.

We have no vested interest in the samples it collects. onCore UK will not undertake cancer research itself, nor in any way directly fund cancer research.