For the last 12 years, the MMF has collaborated with multiple investigators to collect fecal samples under dozens of inpatient and outpatient protocols and clinical trials conducted at MSKCC. Our mission is to formally establish the first institutional MSKCC Stool Biobank and provide fundamental expertise to support investigational microbiota projects. We utilize standard operating procedures and can provide stool collection guides to aid investigators. We now have the capability to barcode biological specimens and catalogue prospective studies in comprehensive electronic databases, aiming to provide a translational research infrastructure across our institution.

Our current Biobank has close to 20,000 banked human stool specimens from over 3,500 unique patients. We conduct a daily effort of receiving and aliquoting fecal samples within hours of collection and storing long-term at -80C to ensure sample preservation. The MMF biobank also houses thousands of purified DNA samples derived from unique human specimens.