Specific laboratory Standard Operating Procedures were developed (and updated as warranted) within EAGLE to ensure quality control of every step involved in biospecimen collection, processing, transportation, tracking, shipping, and eventual long term storage. Approximately 90% of cases and 87% of controls donated a blood sample, and 7% of cases and 13% of controls donated buccal rinse samples (Table 1). Blood samples were transported from each hospital to the central laboratory within four hours of phlebotomy by a transportation team established ad hoc for EAGLE. Blood specimens were processed to obtain cryopreserved lymphocytes, RBC, granulocytes, DNA, RNA, whole blood, buffy coat, serum, plasma, and blood cards. For RNA collection and extraction, we also used PAX tubes (Paxgene Blood RNA System), which contain a solution that inhibits RNA degradation and gene induction as blood is drawn into the tube. Buccal cells obtained by mouthwash were processed to obtain DNA.
