Human Biofluids for Research: CSF, Urine & More

Access specialty biofluids from normal and diseased donors, including CSF, urine, saliva, synovial fluid, ascites fluid, pleural fluid, and more.

Human Biofluid Specimens for Translational Research

ABS Bio provides high-quality specialty biofluids to support biomarker discovery, translational research, diagnostic development, and therapeutic innovation. Through a global network of clinical collection sites, ABS Bio offers access to both normal and disease-state specimens with customizable collection protocols and comprehensive patient annotation to support a wide range of research applications.

Specialty biofluids can provide unique insights into disease biology, treatment response, and biomarker expression that may not be available through traditional blood-based samples alone. ABS Bio works with researchers to identify, procure, and deliver fit-for-purpose specimens aligned with specific study objectives and downstream analytical requirements.

Available Human Biofluid Samples

  • Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)
  • Saliva
  • Respiratory swabs
  • Synovial fluid
  • Arthritic synovial fluid
  • Ascites fluid
  • Pleural fluid
  • Urine
  • Vitreous humor

Inventory availability may vary by specimen type, indication, and collection requirements. Prospective collection programs can be customized to support specific study needs.

Related Resources

Human Biofluid Research Applications

Specialty human biofluids support a broad range of biomedical research initiatives, including:

  • Biomarker discovery and validation
  • Translational research
  • Diagnostic assay development
  • Therapeutic evaluation
  • Disease characterization studies

Flexible Collection Programs

ABS Bio supports both inventory-based sourcing and prospective collection programs. Study-specific inclusion and exclusion criteria can be incorporated to help align specimen acquisition with research objectives, patient populations, and protocol requirements.

Comprehensive patient annotation may be available to support data-driven research and downstream analysis.

Quality and Compliance

All specimens are collected under IRB-approved protocols and managed under strict quality standards. ABS Bio maintains rigorous informed consent, de-identification, and patient confidentiality practices to support ethical and compliant biomedical research.

Learn more about Quality at ABS.

Key Human Biofluid Terminology

Human Biofluids

Human biofluids are liquid biological specimens collected from the human body for research, diagnostic, and therapeutic development applications. Biofluids may contain cells, proteins, nucleic acids, metabolites, and other biomarkers that provide insight into health and disease.

Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF)

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is a clear fluid that surrounds and protects the brain and spinal cord. CSF samples are commonly used in neuroscience, neurodegenerative disease, oncology, and biomarker research because they can provide direct insight into central nervous system processes.

Saliva Samples

Saliva samples are non-invasive biospecimens that contain DNA, RNA, proteins, hormones, antibodies, and microbial material. Saliva is frequently used in genetic research, infectious disease studies, biomarker discovery, and diagnostic development.

Urine Samples

Urine samples are commonly used in biomarker research, toxicology, nephrology, metabolic studies, and diagnostic development. Urine contains metabolites, proteins, cells, and other analytes that can provide valuable information about physiological and disease processes.

Synovial Fluid

Synovial fluid is a lubricating fluid found within joints. Synovial fluid samples are widely used in arthritis, rheumatology, inflammation, and musculoskeletal research because they contain biomarkers associated with joint health and disease.

Ascites Fluid

Ascites fluid is the abnormal accumulation of fluid within the abdominal cavity. Researchers use ascites samples to study cancer, liver disease, inflammation, immune responses, and disease-related cellular populations.

Pleural Fluid

Pleural fluid is found within the space surrounding the lungs. Pleural fluid specimens are commonly used in respiratory disease, oncology, infectious disease, and biomarker research applications.

Sputum Samples

Sputum samples consist of mucus and cellular material expelled from the respiratory tract. These specimens are frequently used in pulmonary disease, infectious disease, oncology, and biomarker studies.

Vitreous Humor

Vitreous humor is the transparent gel that fills the interior of the eye. Vitreous samples are used in ophthalmology research, retinal disease studies, and investigations involving ocular biomarkers.

Prospective Biofluid Collection

Prospective biofluid collection is the customized collection of biofluid specimens from donors according to study-specific criteria, processing requirements, and clinical data needs. This approach enables researchers to obtain specimens that match precise protocol requirements when suitable inventory is unavailable.

Disease-State Biofluid Samples

Disease-state biofluid samples are collected from donors with a diagnosed medical condition and are used to support disease-specific research, biomarker discovery, diagnostic development, and therapeutic advancement.

Healthy Control Biofluid Samples

Healthy control biofluid samples are collected from donors without the disease or condition being studied. These specimens provide baseline reference data for comparison against disease-state samples and help researchers identify biologically meaningful differences.