Up to 500 women can donate healthy breast tissue to IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Komen Tissue Bank on July 12 and 13
INDIANAPOLIS — While basketball players take on their opponents this summer during the AT&T WNBA All-Star Game 2025, another group of women will have an opportunity take on an even fiercer opponent: breast cancer.
Women under age 40 and women of color are especially encouraged to donate, but all women who meet the eligibility criteria below can donate healthy breast tissue to the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Susan G. Komen Tissue Bank during the All-Star Cure to be held Saturday, July 12 and Sunday, July 13. The tissue bank is a resource within the Vera Bradley Foundation Center for Breast Cancer Research at the cancer center.
All-Star Cure — a partnership between the WNBA All-Star 2025 Host Committee and the Komen Tissue Bank and powered by the Catherine Peachey Fund — will take place at the cancer center, 1030 W. Michigan St. in Indianapolis. During the two-day event, up to 500 women will be able to donate healthy breast tissue, while 800 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.
“I was honored to support the groundbreaking work of the Komen Tissue Bank by donating breast tissue during their partnership with the Super Bowl Host Committee in 2012,” said Tamika Catchings, a WNBA superstar and co-chair of the WNBA All-Star 2025 Host Committee. “Now, more than a decade later, it’s incredibly meaningful to once again be part of such a rewarding cause. I’m incredibly proud that we’re using the global platform of WNBA All-Star to shine a powerful light on the critical need for healthy breast tissue donations, which can be a game changer for cancer research and lead to better outcomes.”
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 one 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 July
To register for the All-Star Cure, visit 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.
All-Star Cure modeled after 2012 Indy’s Super Cure
The All-Star Cure event is modeled after the successful Indy’s Super Cure, a bold initiative between the 2012 Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee and the Komen Tissue Bank. Nearly 700 women donated healthy breast tissue the weekend before Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis. The tissue bank significantly increased minority participation among its donors during that two-day event, with African Americans representing 36% of the donors, Latinas 7% and other minorities 3%.
“All-Star Cure aims to further increase participation from young women and minority populations to help answer some of the most pressing scientific questions in breast cancer,” Michele Coté, PhD, director of the Komen Tissue Bank, said. “We are grateful for our many All-Star Cure champions including our community advocates, teammates and sponsors such as Eli Lilly and Company. As another innovative, Hoosier-grown organization focused on making life better, Lilly is joining us to elevate awareness of this vital initiative, ultimately aiming to help improve patient outcomes.”
The AT&T WNBA All-Star 2025 will take place July 18 and 19 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, home of the Indiana Fever. The 21st WNBA All-Star Game marks the first time that Indianapolis will host the league’s midseason showcase.