The biorepository will aggregate critical information about City of Hope’s national patient population to expand research capacity across a wide range of diseases
Mark Cosentino, D.P.M., Ph.D., has joined City of Hope®, one of the largest and most advanced cancer research and treatment organizations in the United States, with its National Medical Center in Los Angeles ranked among the nation’s top 5 cancer centers by U.S. News & World Report, as scientific director of the new Kathleen and Robert Henderson Biorepository, which is designed to be a best-in-class facility that collects and organizes tissue samples and other biological materials across City of Hope’s national system to further boost its cancer and other research.
Biorepositories are invaluable resources in scientific research, yielding insights into disease development, epidemiology and treatment efficacy. In addition to accelerating progress in basic, translational and clinical research, the new repository will attract the most talented investigators who are eager to harness their power to advance research objectives.
Dr. Cosentino, a leader in biorepository operations management and oversight, will ensure the development of automated solutions for clinic tracking, patient screening and inventory management to streamline biobanking efforts and enhance accrual on research protocols.
“Dr. Cosentino brings a wealth of experience in biorepository operations management and oversight, having either designed, built, expanded or operated a variety of biorepositories over the past 30 years, including the National Cancer Institute-Frederick Central, which comprised over 17 million specimens,” said Marcel van den Brink, M.D., Ph.D. president of City of Hope Los Angeles and City of Hope National Medical Center, the Deana and Steve Campbell Chief Physician Executive Distinguished Chair in Honor of Alexandra Levine, M.D. “By building a best-in-class biorepository, City of Hope investigators will have access to shared resources and state-of-the-art equipment that is crucial to our pursuit of new treatments and potential cures.”
Dr. Cosentino was most recently at BioMarin Pharmaceuticals, where he worked cross-functionally for eight years to optimize every facet of BioMarin’s extensive biorepository services, including quality control, regulatory compliance, data management and more.
As chair of BioMarin’s Biospecimen Authorization Committee, he oversaw the review and adjudication of competing biospecimen requests to ensure ethical use of residual biospecimens to expand BioMarin’s drug pipeline. Prior to BioMarin, Dr. Cosentino held biobank leadership roles at Biogen, SAIC-Frederick and BBI Biotech Research Laboratories.
Dr. Cosentino holds a Ph.D. from Cleveland State University/Cleveland Clinic Foundation, a D.P.M. from the Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine and a B.S. from University of Notre Dame. In addition, he is a former member of the College of American Pathologists Biobanking Accreditation Committee.
The biorepository was made possible through the generous support of Robert and Kathleen Henderson, whose visionary philanthropy will help strengthen City of Hope’s efforts to detect, understand and develop innovative treatments to improve cancer care and save lives.
“I am privileged to lead City of Hope’s initiative to develop a groundbreaking, highly valuable biorepository for our national enterprise,” Dr. Cosentino said. “This transformative effort will continue to advance City of Hope’s research and, most important, enhance outcomes for our patients. By establishing a national biorepository, we are laying the foundation for sustained innovation in cancer and other therapies.”
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