Since the last renewal, the previous Tissue Procurement Facility and Research Histology Shared Resource have merged and expanded their functions to form the Biorepository and Tissue Research Facility (BTRF), under new leadership. The BTRF makes human biospecimens available for basic, translational, and clinical research. It is the major conduit through which human tissue specimens are transferred from the Pathology, Surgery and other clinical departments to research labs at the University of Virginia (UVA), and is the major processor of human biospecimens (tissue, blood, urine) in support of clinical trials at UVA. In addition, this is the only shared research facility that supports standard histology services and complex histology-based analytic techniques for animal models and human tissues, including tissue microarray construction, laser microdissection, immunohistochemistry, digital slide scanning and reverse-phase protein microarrays. Expert histopathology support from Board-certified Anatomic Pathologists is provided for these activities through this Shared Resource. The biorepository and analytic services are often vertically integrated with each other to allow for one-stop shopping for investigators carrying out translational or clinical cancer research. BTRF services make possible new insights into cancer disease mechanisms by the analysis of tissues and biofluids, assist in the discovery and validation of new clinical cancer biomarkers, and support clinical trials of novel diagnostic tests and therapies for cancer.
Analysis of human tissues is the conduit through which new knowledge about molecules and cells enters the realm of clinical practice. The BTRF provides both tissues and analytic tools to advance cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment.
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