INDIANAPOLIS, FORT WAYNE, Ind. — The Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer and the Susan G. Komen Tissue Bank at the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer are joining forces for a unique breast tissue collection event.
Participants can contribute to new discoveries in breast cancer research by donating a healthy breast tissue sample on Saturday, Nov. 14 in Fort Wayne. The Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer and IU’s Komen Tissue Bank will host a breast tissue collection — “Healthy Tissue for Hope” — from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the IU Health Fort Wayne Outpatient Surgery Center, 4105 Dicke Road.
Women under age 40 and women of color are especially encouraged to donate, but all women who meet the eligibility criteria can donate healthy breast tissue to the IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Susan G. Komen Tissue Bank during the November event. The tissue bank is a resource within the cancer center’s Vera Bradley Foundation Center for Breast Cancer Research at the IU School of Medicine.
Up to 200 women will be able to donate healthy breast tissue, while 250 volunteers will play key roles ranging from donor escorts to medical assistants who help with the tissue acquisition procedure.
The donation process takes 60 to 90 minutes, but a woman’s contribution could help cancer researchers make lasting discoveries.
“Every breakthrough in breast cancer research begins with someone willing to make a difference,” Stephanie Scheele, executive director of the Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer, said. “The Healthy Tissue for Hope event gives women in our community the extraordinary opportunity to contribute to discoveries that have the potential to save lives for generations to come. We are incredibly proud to partner with the Komen Tissue Bank and Indiana University to bring this one-of-a-kind event to Fort Wayne and invite our community to be part of something truly remarkable.”
By analyzing samples from women without breast cancer, researchers can study the differences between healthy and cancerous tissues, which will lead to a better understanding of the disease. Researchers at IU and elsewhere have already made new discoveries about breast cancer by using samples donated to the Komen Tissue Bank. For example, IU researchers completed the most extensive mapping of healthy breast cells to date. These findings offer an important tool to understand how breast cancer develops and the differences in breast tissue among genetic ancestries.
What to expect during the donation process
During the donation process, local anesthesia is used before taking a tissue sample from one breast with a needle. About 1 gram of tissue is taken — about the size of three peas. To donate, participants must:
- Be 18 or older
- Have the ability to understand and the willingness to sign an informed consent
- Be willing to give 60 to 90 minutes of their time to complete a questionnaire and a breast biopsy
- Not be allergic to local anesthetics (numbing medicine)
- Not be receiving a therapeutic blood thinner (not including aspirin)
- Not have breast implants
Register now to donate in November
To register, visit the donor sign-up page on the Komen Tissue Bank website or call 866-763-0047. Donors must have a confirmed appointment time.
Before the donation, participants will complete an informed consent document and an online questionnaire. Height and weight measurements and a blood sample will be collected.
To volunteer for the event, visit the volunteer sign-up page.
Partners for more than 25 years
For more than 25 years, the Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer and the IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center have shared a powerful partnership driven by one mission: ending breast cancer through research. Inspired by the loss of a close friend to breast cancer, Vera Bradley co-founders Barbara Bradley Baekgaard and Patricia R. Miller launched grassroots fundraising efforts in 1993 that ultimately led to a transformational collaboration with IU in 1999. Since then, the foundation has committed more than $50 million to support groundbreaking research, recruit leading scientists and physicians, and establish the Vera Bradley Foundation Center for Breast Cancer Research at the IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Together, the two organizations have advanced discoveries in precision genomics, immunotherapy, survivorship, health equity, and treatments for aggressive cancers such as triple negative breast cancer, helping position IU as a national leader in breast cancer innovation.
About the Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer
The Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer, an organization born from love, loss, and a deep commitment to change lives. For more than 30 years, the Foundation has been dedicated to funding critical breast cancer research — research that brings hope to patients, families, and future generations. Thanks to the generosity of supporters like you, the Foundation has raised over $43 million to advance innovation, improve outcomes, and move us closer to a world without breast cancer. Thank you for standing with us in this fight.
About the Indiana University School of Medicine
The IU School of Medicine is the largest medical school in the U.S. and is annually ranked among the top medical schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. The school offers high-quality medical education, access to leading medical research and rich campus life in nine Indiana cities, including rural and urban locations consistently recognized for livability. According to the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research, the IU School of Medicine ranks No. 15 in 2025 National Institutes of Health funding among all public medical schools in the country.
For more news, visit the IU School of Medicine Newsroom: medicine.iu.edu/news