LAM Data and Biospecimens
The LAM Foundation collaborates with scientists, academic institutions, and non-profit organizations to enable access to data, biospecimens, and researchers to facilitate LAM research. The below resources are available for researchers around the world to help move LAM research forward faster.
LAM Cell Atlas
The LAM Cell Atlas (LCA) is a web-based portal that provides easy access to integrated single cell RNA sequencing data compiled from the analysis of lung, uterus and kidneys of patients with LAM. The LCA provides user-friendly graphical interfaces with a variety of interactive options for investigators to search, visualize and reanalyze comprehensive single-cell omics data sets without the need for programming or coding. The LCA provides a robust data resource to test new hypotheses and discover novel biomarkers. The LCA can be accessed here.
Tissue Collection Program
The LAM Tissue Collection Program is a collaborative initiative of the LAM Foundation and the National Disease Research Interchange (NDRI). NDRI collects prospective surgical tissue samples and detailed medical history information from registered LAM patients to aid in accelerating research efforts. NDRI works with investigators to develop customized tissue recovery protocols to meet the needs of their experimental design. Learn more about how to access LAM specimens here.
Investigators can also access the LAM Tissue Repository (LAM-TR) through NDRI, previously housed at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institutes of Health (NHLBI). The LAM-TR includes buffy coat, blood, and tissue samples ideal for biomarker analysis.
- LAM Tissue Collection Program
- NDRI Request Tissue
- Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) Tissue Repository (LAM-TR)
- TSC Natural History Database – Implemented in 2006, the TSC Natural History Database captures clinical data to document the impact of the disease on a person’s health over his or her lifetime. More than 2,500 people with TSC, including 115 with LAM, are enrolled in the project. The TSC Alliance provides funding to participating clinics to perform data entry, monitors the integrity of the database, and makes data available to investigators to answer specific research questions and identify potential participants for clinical trials and studies.
- The TSC Biosample Repository – houses human biological materials such as blood, DNA, and tissues linked to detailed clinical data in the TSC Natural History Database. High-quality biosamples and their associated clinical data will enable researchers to discover biomarkers, establish human cell lines or tissue arrays for drug testing, and search for clues to understand why manifestations of TSC, including LAM, are so different from person to person.
Other resources: Deidentified clinical data and blood samples from other LAM trials and natural history cohorts such as the Safety and Durability of Sirolimus for Treatment of LAM (MIDAS) Registry (NCT02432560) could be obtained from the study team. Please visit the ClinicalTrials.gov page to obtain more information or contact The LAM Foundation at 513-777-6889
The LAM Foundation Early Career Researcher Network (TEN)
This network fosters collaboration, community, and career development among the next generation of LAM researchers. There are five webinars per year, early career researcher (ECR) presentations, ECR events featured at TSC/LAM conferences, and a Slack channel to encourage professional networking.