The Tissue Procurement Core Facility was established in 1999 to collect, prepare, and distribute high quality human tissue samples meeting the special needs of the Cancer Center researchers. An approved application and a copy of the researcher's IRB approval are required to receive tissues from the Core Facility. The Core works synergistically with the Cooperative Human Tissue Network (CHTN), and provides unique services exclusively to Cancer Center members as well as priority access to tissues over other intramural and extramural investigators. A wide variety of tissues are available from UHC and other local area hospitals. Normal, benign, and malignant tissues are obtained from surgical resections and autopsies. Matched normal adjacent tissue and tissues from different organ sites from the same donor are also available to researchers. Special emphasis is placed on the acquisition of metastatic tissues to serve Cancer Center initiatives. Tissue samples are prepared according to individual protocols and can be fresh, snap-frozen, or fixed. Sterile tissues can be obtained for the establishment of cell lines or development of xenograft models. Tissues can also be embedded, cut and mounted on slides, and stained. Quality control (QC) reviews are conducted on tissue samples by experienced surgical pathologists to verify diagnosis. Basic demographic and histopathologic data are provided with the tissue samples. A minimal, standardized processing fee is charged to investigators for the time and effort involved in collecting, processing, storing, and distributing the research samples. Chart reviews are conducted by medical residents as a special service to obtain additional clinical information when required. Patient confidentiality is strictly maintained through the use of sample code numbers. The identity of the tissue donor is maintained by the Core Facility in a secure area in the event that follow-up data or samples are requested. Long-term, monitored storage of disease-specific tissues is also available to Cancer Center members. Surveys are conducted to ensure that the core addresses the changing needs of Cancer Center researchers, and additional services such as nucleic acid isolation and development of tissue microarrays may be offered at a future date.
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