Freezerworks Advances Cancer Care
ITOR went fully live with Freezerworks within four months of first contact, linking 1,500+ data fields per patient across surgery, treatment, follow-up, genomics, and consent. The biorepository now powers clinical trial matching, rare tumor research, and external biotech partnerships from a single system.
“Freezerworks makes it pretty easy to keep track of that molecular information because it becomes paired with the specimen, as well as with our clinical annotation regarding how they’re doing, and it’s linked to an actual specimen.”
ABOUT ITOR / PRISMA HEALTH
The Institute for Translational Oncology Research (ITOR) of the Greenville Health System (GHS) in South Carolina, now Prisma Health, operates with a clear vision: to become an international destination center that develops and delivers innovative, personalized cancer therapies.
At the center of that vision is the nation’s first Rare Tumor Center, dedicated exclusively to the research and treatment of rare cancers, alongside an Innovation Zone attracting promising new therapeutic biotech companies. Freezerworks is the information backbone that connects patients, specimens, molecular data, and clinical outcomes across this entire ecosystem.
THE SITUATION
An oncology biorepository is only as valuable as its data. Tissue and blood samples from cancer patients are irreplaceable, but without full annotation and a searchable system, they cannot be used to their maximum potential. ITOR faced four compounding challenges:
Patient demographics, consent, pathology, genomics, and treatment records lived in four different platforms. There was no unified view of a patient’s complete story.
The existing software did not support the routine reporting that directors needed to know, at any given time, the full scope of their biorepository, making collection planning and researcher access slow and unreliable.
Patients at the Rare Tumor Center needed molecular data (mutations, biomarkers, genomic profiles) paired to their specimens and clinical history, so the team could match them to specific clinical trials and targeted therapies.
Companies in the Innovation Zone, like KIYATEC, needed access to biorepository data under IRB-approved protocols to advance drug discovery. Without a structured, queryable system, this collaboration was impractical at scale.
OUR SOLUTIONS
Rapid Implementation — Fully Live in Four Months
ITOR first contacted Dataworks on July 1. By January, the full system with 1,500+ fields was live. A Freezerworks specialist worked on-site for five days to build the system blueprint alongside ITOR staff. The team went live with real-time data entry immediately after the site visit. No programming was required.
- July: Initial inquiry
- September: Purchase of Freezerworks
- October: 5-day on-site configuration and staff training complete
- Oct/Nov: Real-time live entry begins with incoming blood and tissue samples
- December: Data migrated from replaced system
- January: Fully live with in-depth data capture across all 1,500+ fields
"Nobody else has this!" — a researcher’s response upon seeing the breadth of data ITOR collects under a single system, as described by Clinical Data Coordinator Tina Pettry.
1,500+ Fields Linking Patient, Specimen & Molecular Data
Each patient record spans a series of tab-organized screens, accessible with a single click, covering every stage from initial surgery to long-term follow-up. Color-coded fields provide visual alerts for key data points without requiring a user to read through every field.
- Patient Demographics: Quick Search by medical record number; color-highlighted fields for key data like concomitant medications
- Specimen Page: All aliquots per visit with freezer locations, pre-analytic data (ischemia time, arrival/preservation times), and specimen count summaries
- Consent Page: Current consent status, applicable studies, withdrawal records, and re-contact preferences all with signed consent forms linkable as attachments
- Histology & Staging: Pathologist and oncologist staging for up to four tissue sites per procedure, accommodating metastatic presentations
- Chemo & Radiation: Drug regimens, cycles, begin/end dates, patient response, treatment completion status, and adverse event records
- Genomics:Biomarker data, such as genetic mutation profiles, DNA wild type and FISH testing results, paired directly to the specimen record
- Follow-Up: Status tracked at regular intervals, building a longitudinal patient story over months and years
What we are doing with data collection is painting a picture, for months at a time, and with the presentation of the data, it is actually telling a story of what’s going on." — Lorie Allen, Clinical Research Nurse, ITOR
Queryable Biorepository for Clinical Trials & Industry Partnerships
Because every data point is stored in a structured, searchable format, ITOR can run targeted queries to match patients to clinical trials and share redacted data with Innovation Zone biotech partners under IRB-approved protocols.
- Query by any combination of fields to identify patient cohorts matching specific mutation targets or trial criteria
- Rapidly assess mutation prevalence for pharma partners evaluating whether ITOR is a viable trial site
- KIYATEC (cancer diagnostics, Innovation Zone) used Biorepository samples and redacted Freezerworks data in a blinded ovarian cancer pilot, correlating genomic data with drug response profiles
- KIYATEC’s Phase I NCI award for a 3D breast cancer model cited the Biorepository’s data management as instrumental in securing the grant
"The relationship allowed us to effectively execute the study and generate the necessary data, paired with appropriately redacted clinical information, to more efficiently move our cancer diagnostic forward." — David E. Orr, Ph.D., Co-Founder & COO, KIYATEC Inc.
THE OUTCOMES
Freezerworks gave ITOR more than a database. It gave the entire institute a shared language for connecting patients, specimens, molecular data, and research outcomes under one roof.
Live in 4 Months
From first contact to fully operational with 1,500+ fields, in under four months.
Time Management Savings
Tab-organized screens give staff instant access to any patient data point with a single click.
Clinical Trial Matching
Queryable molecular and clinical data helps match rare tumor patients to the most promising trials.
Industry Partnership Enablement
Redacted Freezerworks data supported KIYATEC’s NCI award and blinded cancer drug studies.
