A section of the sample bank at Precedo. [Photo/gxq.hefei.gov.cn]

Precedo – an enterprise specializing in cutting-edge cancer cell research based in Hefei, capital of East China's Anhui province – recently had a landmark development.

That's when it received from the Ministry of Science and Technology the all-important qualification for human genetic resources preservation, becoming the first approved living biological sample bank featuring primary tumor cells.

Relying on the research strength of the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science Chinese Academy of Sciences, Precedo has been committed to the research, development and application of in vitro expansion technology of tumor primary cells – relying on this technology to build a biological bank of Chinese renewable cancer primary cells.

"With our own cell repository, we can help new drug development institutions accelerate the development of new anti-cancer drugs that are accessible and affordable to the general public," said general manager Ren Tao.

"At the same time, by storing cancer cells on a large scale, we can establish the big data of our Chinese people's pharmacogenetic fingerprint map and in future patients can quickly get the most suitable treatment plan for themselves within an hour by matching the database," Ren added.

With the ministry's qualification, Precedo plans to vigorously promote the development of the cell bank for the benefit of the majority of tumor patients.

The size of live biological samples storage there is expected to reach about 1.3 million copies in three years.