• Tampa General Hospital and the University of South Florida Health Morsani College of Medicine have partnered to operate a medical research biorepository 
• The biorepository serves to collect donated biosamples that can be utilized by researchers and physicians to further scientific study and research 
• The Tampa biorepository will focus on research relating to cancer tumor sequencing and studies on how a patient may respond to cancer treatments and therapies 

Tampa General Hospital and the University of South Florida (USF) Health Morsani College of Medicine are partnering to establish a medical research biorepository. The Health Precision Medicine Biorepository intends to serve as a facility that collects, catalogs, and stores samples of biological material for medical research.

The biorepository will act as a collection of organic material for the two institutions where researchers, physicians, and scientists can access donated samples and correlating data for scientific study.

The collection will be supplied by patients of the two entities that grant permission for broad investigational use of donated specimens.

“The biorepository will drive leading-edge scientific collaboration with the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine that offers new advanced technology and innovative care to our patients. The addition of the biorepository further elevates our cancer institute program as a key anchor in the Tampa Medical and Research District that will continue to attract renowned physicians and tech partners,” said John Couris, president and CEO of Tampa General Hospital.

Biorepositories facilitate scientific studies in a multitude of different manners, including the sharing of data for cancer tumor sequencing – determining the precise order of chemical components that composes a tumor’s DNA and result in tumor formation.

Aside from sequencing, the biorepository allows for research in precision medicine and pharmacogenomics. Precision medicine utilizes detailed information specific to a patient’s genes or proteins to prevent, diagnose, or treat disease, whereas pharmacogenomics investigates how gene mutations and patient DNA influence how a patient responds to medications, including cancer therapies.

“The biorepository bridges lab-based surgical research investigators at USF and elsewhere to active clinical programs at the TGH Cancer Institute to learn how genetics, lifestyle, and the environment affect health to improve our treatments and prevent diseases,” said Dr. Matthew Anderson, professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in the USF College of Medicine.

This summer, the USF College of Medicine marked a 34-spot increase in the U.S. News medical school rankings over the past eight years, making it the fastest-rising medical education institute in the nation.

Ranked as the 46th best medical school by U.S. News and World Report rankings, USF has seen a 42 percent increase in the total number of applications since 2014, accompanied by a four-point jump in average incoming MCAT scores.

As a result, research funding has risen by 151.2 percent since 2014, accompanied by a 75 percent increase in National Institute of Health funding during the same span.

No other medical school in the data – public or private – has risen as far in rankings as fast as the Morsani College of Medicine.