The goal of the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center Tissue Procurement Shared Facility (TPSF) is to assure that relevant human tissues, both normal and cancer, are available for CCC investigators. The TPSF accomplishes this by supporting the collecting, processing, storing, and supplying of a wide range of human tissues. Neoplastic and control tissues are supplied as fresh, frozen, paraffin-processed specimens or tissue sections and other histology services are provided as requested by the users of the facility. Also, bodily fluids and fluid components can be provided. The number of investigators requesting tissue sections in lieu of other forms of tissue continues to grow. The facility also offers microdissected specimens and the construction of tissue arrays. Pathologists evaluate all tissues supplied for research for quality and diagnostic accuracy. The facility will continue to play a very active role in promoting the goals of the Cancer Center and the needs of investigators of cancer, most especially in enabling the effective use of emerging methodologies in basic and translational research, coordinating human tissue utilization in clinical trials, and ensuring compliance in the changing regulatory environment. TPSF's ability to meet tissue needs is assured by recent renovations and the ongoing participation of the staff in educational programs and active research in the area of tissue processing and banking. The TPSF has participated in the development of a comprehensive database and bar-coding system that supports tissue resources by incorporating information on the tissue donor, tissue diagnosis and quality control, tissue processing and storage, investigator tissue requirements, and usage of the tissues by researchers. Between January and December 2009 the facility provided 53 UAB investigators with 562 fresh or frozen human tissue samples, 1966 paraffin blocks, and 13,577 slides. Since 1978, the facility has provided approximately 150,000 tissue specimens, blocks, and slides to investigators at UAB. These tissues have been used in a total of 1,175 publications.
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