The Philippine General Hospital (PGH) Biobank was established in September 2017 as a unique, investigator-driven initiative to understand genetic, molecular, or risk factors of certain diseases like cancer among Filipinos. Initially known as Philippine Phenome Cancer Biobank, it started with the collaboration of a group of clinicians, scientists and other health professionals dedicated to knowing the role of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in cancer as well as improving cancer management. As of the moment, PGH biobank has collected patient-derived tumor specimens, peripheral blood specimens, hair and urine for long-term storage and application into various biomedical or clinical research pursuits. This government-funded project aims not only to establish a cancer biobank but also to explore the environmental exposure factors including endocrine-disrupting chemicals and ethnogeographical biodiversity in a groundbreaking attempt to find a cure for cancer for Filipinos. The project is seen to expand all over the country to obtain high-quality biospecimens, specifically breast cancer, in the future. As of the moment, the biobank has established collaborations with the University of California in San Francisco and the University of the Philippines- Diliman, and continues to be open for potential collaborators. The PGH Biobank is indebted to the government for having the foresight to sponsor such an important resource.
The logo consists of essentially Oble embraced by ribbons representing cancer and the DNA structure. Such gives an illusion of movement signifying continuity of research towards cancer cells, its morphology and its application.
