The Histopathology and Tissue Shared Resource (HTSR) provides investigators with comprehensive, high quality histology and pathology services. The HTSR was established in 1991 and became a Cancer Center Support Grant (CCSG) shared resource in 1993. The HTSR is comprised of the Human Tissue Bank (HTB) and the Histology Laboratory that work together to provide an efficient, single location, comprehensive resource for Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center (Lombardi) investigators. The HTB collects and processes tissues for the Fresh Frozen Tissue Bank, maintains a searchable database of the frozen tissues with links to demographic and pathology data, provides clinical support for the collection, processing and embedding of patient tissues for designated projects, and provides database searches, pathology evaluation, and tissue block retrieval of archival paraffin embedded patient tumor and normal tissues obtained through procedures performed at Georgetown University Hospital. The Histology Laboratory provides a broad array of histological services including necropsy, processing and embedding of fresh tissue, microtome, routine and special staining, immunohistochemistry, laser capture microdissection and tissue microarray. In addition, the HTSR provides expert technical support and consultation services as well as an array of imaging equipment to support publication quality imaging and automated data analysis. The HTSR director. Dr. Bhaskar V.S. Kallakury, is a board certified practicing pathologist who provides pathology services related to both human and animal tissues for investigators through HTSR. The HTB has consented 6,134 patients to date, providing access to all paraffin-embedded tissues from these patients, as well as providing matching fresh frozen tissues for 2,980 of these patients. A plan is under way to enhance a database of clinical follow up data on these patients as part of the Georgetown Database of Cancer (G-DOC) initiative. Confidentiality is maintained with all bio-specimens at the HTSR;all samples are completely anonymized before being given to the investigator. Five programs in the CCSG encompassing 43 peer-reviewed Lombardi investigators account for 83% usage of the HTSR. Since the last review (in 2002), the HTSR has increased its capacity through the purchase of additional microtomes, processing and embedding stations, and high throughput automated stainers both for routine staining and for immunohistochemistry. The use of the HTSR by Lombardi investigators and its productivity have both increased. Since 2002, the number of histology slides produced has almost doubled, the number of immunohistochemistry slides stained has increased over five fold, and chargebacks have tripled. With the expansion of the HTSR's capacity, its contribution to the Lombardi research program has risen considerably, making the HTSR an indispensable facility for the Lombardi research community.
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