Bay Biosciences provides high quality, clinical grade, FFPE tumor tissue blocks bio-specimens and matched cryogenically preserved sera (serum), plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) biofluid samples from patients diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumors.

Moreover, the serum, plasma and PBMCs are processed from neuroendocrine tumor patient’s peripheral whole-blood using customized collection and processing protocols. Furthermore, the neuroendocrine biopsy tissue and matched biofluid samples are collected from unique patients diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumors and are provided to a valued pharmaceutical customer for research, diagnostics, discovery and drug development.

In addition, detailed clinical information associated with neuroendocrine tumor specimens is provided to a valued customer for research, development and drug discovery.

 

Neuroendocrine Tumors Overview

A neuroendocrine tumor (NET’s) begins in the specialized cells of the body’s neuroendocrine system. Specifically, neuroendocrine cells have traits of both hormone-producing endocrine cells and nerve cells

. Furthermore, they are found throughout the body’s organs and help control many of the body’s functions. In fact, neuroendocrine tumors are rare and can occur anywhere in the body. Notably, most neuroendocrine tumors occur in the lungs, appendix, small intestine, rectum, and pancreas.

Additionally, hormones are chemical substances that are carried through the bloodstream to have a specific effect on the activity of other organs or cells in the body. Importantly, all NETs are considered malignant tumors. Moreover, most NETs take years to develop and grow slowly; however, some NETs can be fast-growing.

Furthermore, the diagnosis and treatment of neuroendocrine tumors depend on several factors, including the type of tumor, its location, whether it produces excess hormones, how aggressive it is, and whether it has spread to other parts of the body.

Neuroendocrine Tumors can Occur in Any Part of the Body

In fact, neuroendocrine tumors can begin in any part of the body, including the following:

  • Firstly, the gastrointestinal (GI) tract: Neuroendocrine tumors develop most commonly in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, specifically in the small intestine, appendix, and large intestine. In fact, the GI tract plays a central role in digesting foods and liquids and in processing waste. Thus, GI tract neuroendocrine tumors are significant.
  • Secondly, the lung: The lung is the second most common location for neuroendocrine tumors. Specifically, about thirty percent of neuroendocrine tumors develop in the bronchial system, which carries air to the lungs.
  • Moreover, the pancreas: Neuroendocrine tumors can develop in the pancreas, a pear-shaped gland located in the abdomen between the stomach and the spine. However, these are less common compared with gastrointestinal (GI) tract neuroendocrine tumors and lung neuroendocrine tumors.
  • Additionally, neuroendocrine tumors can also begin in other organs. Notably, in around fifteen percent of the cases, a primary site cannot be found. Furthermore, sometimes, neuroendocrine tumors may develop in or on the adrenal glands. Consequently, these rare types of neuroendocrine tumors are called pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma. Finally, other types of tumors that begin in hormone-producing cells include thyroid cancer, adrenal gland tumors, and pituitary gland tumors.

Types of Neuroendocrine Tumors

  • Firstly, adrenal gland cancer
  • Second, carcinoid tumors
  • Moreover, Merkel cell carcinoma
  • Furthermore, pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors
  • In addition, paraganglioma
  • Finally, pheochromocytoma

Causes of Neuroendocrine Tumors

Exact causes of why patients develop neuroendocrine tumors are unknown. Moreover, neuroendocrine cancers develop in neuroendocrine cells that have traits similar to those of nerve cells and hormone-producing cells. Furthermore, neuroendocrine cells are found throughout a person’s body.

Neuroendocrine tumors begin when neuroendocrine cells develop changes or mutations in their DNA. In fact, the DNA inside a cell contains the instructions that tell the cell what to do. Consequently, the changes tell the neuroendocrine cells to multiply rapidly and form a tumor.

While some neuroendocrine tumors grow very slowly, others, on the other hand, are aggressive cancers that invade and destroy normal body tissue or spread and metastasize to other parts and organs of the body.

Signs and Symptoms of Neuroendocrine Tumors

As for the signs, in the beginning, neuroendocrine tumors don’t always cause any signs and symptoms. Typically, the symptoms a patient might experience depend on the location of the tumor and whether it produces excess hormones.

Following are the common signs and symptoms of neuroendocrine tumors:

  • Firstly, pain when the tumor is growing in the body
  • Moreover, lump can be felt under the skin where the tumor is growing
  • Furthermore, usually feeling tired and fatigued 
  • Lastly, losing weight without any reason

Neuroendocrine tumors that produce excess hormones or functional tumors may cause the following signs and symptoms:

  • First, feeling thirsty
  • Second, flushing or redness of the skin
  • Moreover, dizziness 
  • Furthermore, diarrhea
  • In addition, increased urinary frequency
  • Likewise, rashes on the skin
  • Finally, tremors

Diagnosis of Neuroendocrine Tumors

Several diagnostic tests are performed to find and diagnose neuroendocrine tumors. Additionally, tests are conducted to learn if cancer has spread to another part of the body from where it started, which is called metastasis.

Specifically, imaging tests can show if the cancer has spread; furthermore, these imaging tests provide pictures of the inside of the body. For most types of tumors, a biopsy is, in fact, the only sure way for the doctor to know if an area of the body has a tumor.

In a biopsy, the doctor takes a small sample of tissue for testing in a laboratory. However, if a biopsy is not possible, the doctor may suggest the following tests that will help make a diagnosis:

  • Blood/urine tests
  • Molecular testing of the tumor
  • Endoscopy
  • Ultrasound
  • X-ray
  • Computed tomography (CT or CAT) scan
  • Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
  • Nuclear medicine imaging
  • OctreoScan
  • Positron emission tomography (PET) or PET-CT scan

Biospecimens

biospecimens

Bay Biosciences is a global leader in providing researchers with high quality, clinical grade, fully characterized human tissue samples, bio-specimens, and human bio-fluid collections.

Moreover, human biospecimens are available including tumor tissue, serum, plasma and PBMC samples from most other therapeutic areas.

Furthermore, Bay Biosciences maintains and manages its own biorepository, the human tissue bank (biobank) consisting of thousands of diseased samples (specimens) and likewise normal healthy donors for controls. Additionally, available in all formats and types.

In fact, our biobank procures and stores fully consented, de-identified and institutional review boards (IRB) approved human tissue samples, human biofluids such as serum samples, plasma samples from various diseases and matched controls.

Also, all our human tissue collections, human biospecimens and human biofluids are provided with detailed, samples associated patient’s clinical data.

In fact, this critical patient’s clinical data includes information relating to their past and current disease, treatment history, lifestyle choices, biomarkers, and genetic information.

Additionally, researchers find the patient’s data associated with the human biospecimens extremely valuable and use it to help identify new effective treatments (drug discovery & development) in oncology, as well as in other therapeutic areas and diseases.

Bay Biosciences banks wide variety of human tissue samples and human biological samples, including fresh frozen human biospecimens cryogenically preserved at – 80°C.

For example fresh frozen tissue samples, tumor tissue samples, formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE), tissue slides, with matching human bio-fluids, whole blood and blood-derived products such as human serum, human plasma and human PBMCs.

Bay Biosciences is a global leader in collecting and providing human tissue samples according to the specified requirements and customized, tailor-made collection protocols.

Please contact us anytime to discuss your special research projects and customized human tissue sample requirements.

Types of Biospecimens

Bay Biosciences provides human tissue samples (human specimens) and human biofluids from diseased and normal healthy donors which includes:

Moreover, we can also procure most human biospecimens and human biofluids, special collections and requests for human samples that are difficult to find. All our human tissue samples and human biofluids are procured through IRB-approved clinical protocols and procedures.

In addition to the standard processing protocols, Bay Biosciences can also provide human biofluids such as  human plasma, human serum, and human PBMCs bio-fluid samples using custom processing protocols; you buy donor-specific collections in higher volumes and specified sample aliquots from us.

Bay Biosciences also provides human biospecimens from normal healthy donors; volunteers, for controls and clinical research, Contact us Now.