Specimen and Data Access Network (SAN)
Welcome to the Specimen and Data Access Network - SAN
Let us help so you can focus on your science!
Who are we?
The SAN, launched in 2019, is a Pacific Northwest-based network of human health-centered institutions focused on supporting and accelerating innovation in patient care.
What do we do?
Our goal is to make specimen access fast and painless so you can focus on the science.
We help navigate the process of specimen or data access by connecting you to one or more partners in our network who can provide what you need – whether it be tissue, blood, other specimens, associated clinical data, etc. Our goal is to reduce the time you need to invest in searching out specimens, data, and related information so you can focus on moving your research forward.
SAN Service Offerings
Our network coordinating center provides quality customer service and a streamlined, efficient method for identifying and requesting specimens from our network of partners across the region. We do this by streamlining and increasing transparency around the administrative processes involved in requesting specimens for research. We keep tabs on what is available where to help direct you to the fastest option.
Our Efforts
The SAN directly supports accelerated translational research within our communities.
Translational research involves bringing new methods of prevention, diagnostics, and treatments from the research world into the lives of the people who need them. Translational research requires key information and resources to be available to researchers as they are doing their work. The Seattle Translational Tumor Research (STTR) group, based out of Fred Hutch, supports translational cancer research for 16 tumor-specific research programs in the Seattle area. The group created a framework to identify the key areas where infrastructure to speed research to clinical impact and resources needed to support these efforts.
The role of the SAN is to enable and speed access to the specimens required to drive health research forward and improve lives. Access to specimens is one of the first steps in the translational research lifecycle, which is a multi-step process reliant on the collective expertise of teams from various backgrounds including research teams asking new questions, securing external funding data analysts, interpreting results, clinicians working directly with patients, designing research-focused systems and algorithms, and many other supporting arms.
© 2025 Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.