(P 80) UTILIZATION OF THE MUSCULOSKELETAL ONCOLOGY TUMOR REGISTRY AND TISSUE BANK (MOTOR) FOR THE ACCELERATION OF SARCOMA RESEARCH

Objective: Sarcomas are rare cancers with significant unmet clinical need. Their histological diversity and geographic dispersion make specimen acquisition difficult, limiting research opportunities and resulting in an underrepresentation in biobanks. To address this, the Musculoskeletal Oncology Tumor Registry and Tissue Bank (MOTOR) was established to collect and annotate sarcoma samples for collaborative research.

Methods: MOTOR is a tissue bank collecting fresh tumor tissue, blood, and clinical data from patients with musculoskeletal system malignancies such as sarcomas or bone metastasis. Specimens are processed into multiple formats, including cryopreserved, flash frozen, and OCT samples of tumor and normal tissue, as well as plasma and buffy coat that are processed and stored long term. The registry includes 43 distinct sarcoma subtypes. All samples are annotated with demographic and clinical information and continuously updated as new clinical information emerges.

Results: Currently, MOTOR houses 10,039 tumor, 1,253 buffy coat, and 4,121 plasma samples from 907 patients. The most abundant category is sarcomas ‘not otherwise specified’ (1,932 samples), demonstrating their histological diversity. Liposarcoma (1,554 samples) is the second most common subtype, whereas Ewing sarcoma (376 samples) is the least common, demonstrating its rarity and the importance of having such rare samples available to collaborators. Serial collections from 192 patients enable disease progression studies.

Conclusion: MOTOR serves as a critical resource for musculoskeletal oncology research by addressing the shortage of high-quality, annotated rare cancer specimens. MOTOR has enabled numerous domestic and international collaborations, advancing sarcoma research through publications, deeper insights into disease biology, and contributions to drug development and repurposing.