Newswise — HOUSTON – (May 9, 2014) –The Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS) Biobank at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) recently launched the Sample Location and Enhancement Distribution (SLED) software application.

The application features an automated system that provides sample request management, which allows the primary investigator to easily search for data and samples in the CCTS Biobank. Additionally, contributors and requestors will have a single federated platform that offers a door-to-door tracking system.

“We are very excited about this application. SLED will facilitate increased participation by contributing principal investigators, researchers and other members of the Texas Medical Center community,” said Krystle Nomie, Ph.D., coordinator of the CCTS Biobank. “Our goal is to provide a user-friendly platform that will meet the needs of every party involved.”

Prior to the launch of this application researchers encountered challenges identifying sample owners or the quantity and availability of their samples. Additionally, sample owners would independently track the status of their samples which hindered the ability to provide real time information on the quantities or samples available.

“We are always working to enhance the Biobank experience for both researchers and samples owners,” Nomie said. “We want our researchers to maximize their time working on their projects with the resources the Biobank provides and less time on the phone inquiring about availability.”

The CCTS Biobank led by Eric Boerwinkle, Ph.D., at the School of Public Health and Jennifer Sanner, Ph.D., at the School of Nursing collaborated with the informatics team at the School of Biomedical Informatics to develop and launch SLED.

The CCTS Biobank consists of over 200,000 human samples and related clinical data owned by contributing investigators within the Texas Medical Center. Researchers can request samples of plasma, serum, DNA, buffy coat and red blood cells. Some of the major disease categories include cardiovascular diseases, aneurysms, cancer and autoimmune system disorders.

For additional information on the CCTS Biobank, visit www.uthouston.edu/biobank/.

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