The Power in Patterns: How We Can Accelerate Leiomyosarcoma Research Together
Submitted by the Rare Cancer Research Foundation
12/3/25
In cancer research, one donated sample is data for researchers. Hundreds of samples are patterns — patterns that connect and reveal new treatments that have the power to save lives.
When zooming in on rare cancers specifically, all samples are precious due to their scarcity. This is why The Rare Cancer Research Foundation (RCRF), a partner of the Leiomyosarcoma Support & Direct Research Foundation, has the initiative pattern.org. The mission of pattern.org is to empower patients to directly donate their samples (blood, tissue, and/or medical data) to high-impact research projects for their disease. Simply put, rare cancer patients have what rare cancer researchers need – these samples can be used to test new therapies and learn about the biology of these cancers, paving the way for meaningful progress.
Right now, we have multiple research teams across the country at top institutions who are studying leiomyosarcoma, meaning that pattern.org is accepting all different types of the disease. With pattern.org, you can donate through any provider, at any hospital in the U.S. at no additional cost to you.
Beyond tissue and data donation, RCRF is able to support rare cancer patients through our additional programs:
The Pattern Biobank is our central hub for sample storage and distribution. If a patient donates a sample that cannot currently go directly to a research project, this is where it is temporarily stored while RCRF works to connect it swiftly to the right research team. The Pattern Biobank also offers custodial biobanking, which gives patients the option to collect and safely store their own samples for future clinical or research use. To learn more about custodial biobanking, please click here.
We’re preparing to launch the Pattern Data Commons, which is a secure, open-source data platform for researchers that standardizes all molecular and clinical data from patients so that researchers can instantly connect noticeable patterns like mutations, RNA-sequencing results and patient history. You can donate your medical data for your cancer type to help populate the Pattern Data Commons through pattern.org, or you can click here to learn more.
Finally, we also work to connect patients to genomic sequencing services that can help them to understand the genetic changes driving their disease, leading to more targeted treatments and personalized medicine.
The goal of our work at RCRF and with the help of our incredible partners like LMSDR is to help make healthcare, especially for those with rare cancer, more patient-centric. We are honored to be able to empower patients to donate their samples to research and to provide a wide variety of services to meet their needs throughout their journey. Rare cancers aren’t rare enough; this is why we are working to create a better future and better outcomes for all rare cancer patients.
For more information, please visit www.rarecancer.org or feel free to reach out to us at info@rarecancer.org
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