The National Mesothelioma Virtual Bank (NMVB) is a collaborative biospecimen and data resource dedicated to accelerating mesothelioma research. Led by the Departments of Biomedical Informatics and Pathology at the University of Pittsburgh and funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) at the CDC, NMVB provides researchers with access to high-quality mesothelioma tissue specimens and richly annotated clinical and molecular data.
Mesothelioma remains a devastating disease, with approximately 4,000 new cases diagnosed each year in the United States. NMVB was established to support research that advances early detection, informs treatment strategies, and ultimately reduces the burden of this cancer. We welcome collaboration with investigators and institutions committed to improving outcomes for mesothelioma patients.
Our national network of contributing institutions includes Baylor College of Medicine, Temple University, Fox Chase Cancer Center, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Maryland, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, and NYU Langone Medical Center. Together, we ensure the collection and stewardship of biospecimens that meet the highest standards of quality, ethical oversight, and scientific relevance.
With extensive expertise in biobanking informatics and research infrastructure, NMVB offers a streamlined and collaborative environment for investigators. We are actively seeking new research partnerships that align with our mission to drive progress in mesothelioma science.
To learn more about collaborating with NMVB, please contact our team.
Collaborative Sites
333 Cottman Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19111-2497
New York, NY 10029-5674
New York, NY 10016
Phone: 646-929-7870
Philadelphia, PA 19122 USA
Research Evaluation Panel
The Research Evaluation Panel (REP) is an independent group of experts that is created by the NMVB Steering Committee in consultation with the CDC program officer. The selection of REP members is based on their qualification, publications, and research experience in the mesothelioma research. The REP member could be a pathologist, biostatistician, physician, or an investigator that has a deep understanding of mesothelioma and has an up to date knowledge of recent advancement in the diagnosis and management of mesothelioma. The REP members work independently but collaboratively with the Coordinating Committee and without conflict of interests with the resource. They are responsible for reviewing requests from investigators for specimens and clinical data and evaluating the scientific merit of the request. The REP members then provide advice about the scientific quality and priority of the request to the resource NMVB Steering Committee.
Voting Members
- Professor of Pathology
- Director, Environmental Pathology Program
- College of Medicine
- Professor of Research
- Assistant Professor of Pathology
- Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
Non-Voting Members
- Chairman and Distinguished University Professor, Department of Biomedical Informatics
- Professor of Biomedical Informatics, Pathology, Information Sciences and Telecommunications
- Head, Division of Thoracic Surgery
- Surgeon
- Department of General Thoracic Surgery
- UPMC St. Margaret’s
Steering Committee
The Steering Committee is comprised of the Principal Investigators from collaborative sites UPMC, NYU, U. Penn, RPCCC and UMD and program managers from Mesothelioma Allied Research Foundation (Meso-foundation), CDC, and the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The Steering Committee act as the governing body of the resource for developing operating policies that are implemented at each collaborative by their principle investigator. The Committee reviews the operating procedures of the participating sites to insure that they are compatible with the overall goals and policies of the resource and comply with CDC and NIOSH defined specific quality control and tissue processing procedures. The committee also overlooks the specimen requests that are approved by the REP and assure the fulfillment of requests as per resource protocols.
Working Group
NMVB working group comprises of personnel from all collaborative sites that includes data managers, tissue bank technicians, database administrators, cancer registrars, and research coordinators who handle the day-to-day activities of the project.