Guidelines to improve blood and bone marrow sample handling for leukemia testing
Official title: Guidelines for processing and storing liquid biopsy samples for functional assays in research and clinical testing.
Funded at Oregon Health & Science University · NIH-11196186 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project develops clear ways to collect, store, and ship blood and bone marrow so lab tests more reliably guide care for people with acute myeloid leukemia and other advanced cancers.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Oregon Health & Science University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Portland, United States) |
| Project start | September 23, 2024 |
| Project end | August 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $356,850 |
| NIH project number | 5U01CA288669-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11196186 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with acute myeloid leukemia or other advanced blood cancers who can donate blood or bone marrow samples to participating centers or biobanks are the ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People without blood or bone marrow cancers, or those who cannot provide samples or access participating sites, are unlikely to benefit directly from this project.
What this research studies
The team will examine how collection, storage, and retrieval steps affect liquid biopsy tests that measure proteins and live-cell responses in blood and bone marrow. They will use high-throughput flow and imaging platforms and the Knight Cancer Institute's large set of leukemia patient samples to compare different pre-analytical methods. From those results they will write standard operating procedures and best-practice guidelines to be used across hospitals and labs. The goal is to make functional liquid biopsy results consistent and trustworthy for clinical and research use.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: More reliable liquid biopsy tests could help doctors pick better treatments faster and reduce unclear or misleading lab results.
How similar studies have gone: Sensitive liquid biopsy and functional assay methods exist and show promise, but consistent, evidence-based guidelines for sample handling are currently lacking, so this project builds on promising techniques with a focus on standardization.
Where this research is happening
-
Oregon Health & Science University
Portland, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Vu, Tothu Q — Oregon Health & Science University
- Study coordinator: Vu, Tothu Q
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Towards a blood-based test using nanophotonic exosomes to screen and diagnose liver cancer
A new blood test using tiny particles shed by liver cancer cells aims to screen for hepatocellular carcinoma earlier and more accurately.
-
Liquid biopsy test to screen for lymphoma in people with HIV
A new blood test called High Density Methyl-Seq is being checked to see if it can detect lymphoma early in people living with HIV.
-
Liquid biopsy and oxygen therapy to guide glioblastoma treatment
A patient-focused study exploring a blood-based test and a safe oxygen therapy to help doctors tell true tumor growth from treatment effects in adults with glioblastoma treated with chemoradiation.
-
Liquid biopsy to monitor LMS treatment and resistance
A patient-centered look at using blood tests to see how well LMS treatment is working and when resistance to therapy appears.
-
Imagnostix: a simple blood-based test to flag Alzheimer’s risk
A new blood-based test called Imagnostix aims to help identify people who may be developing Alzheimer’s disease earlier and more cheaply than current methods.
-
Multi-omic liquid biopsy to guide immunotherapy in colorectal and anal cancers
A patient-facing overview of a study testing blood-based biomarkers (ctDNA and extracellular RNA) to better tailor immunotherapy for colorectal and anal cancer patients.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.