The SPORE Tissue Procurement and Analysis Facility (TPA) provides centralized, quality controlled quality assured procurement, processing, analysis, storage and distribution of normal and malignant breast tissue from UNC Hospitals. Whenever possible, corresponding serum and plasma are also obtained. All procured specimens are reviewed by the Facility Pathologist to ensure that representative tissue is banked and distributed. We have recently expanded our tissue procurement activities to Rex Hospital, a large hospital in Raleigh, N.C., recently purchased by the UNC Health Care System. This effectively doubles our access to breast cancer specimens. In addition to procurement services, the facility provides tissue sectioning for frozen and paraffin embedded specimens, immunohistochemistry and fluorescence in situ assays and access to state-of-the-art tissue-based technology, including laser-capture microdissection. Expert personnel provide consultation and training to faculty and staff in these applications. The facility also serves as a central clearing house for the Carolina Breast Cancer Study--banking and distributing unstained sections for multiple assays. Customized databases serve to monitor and survey all of these specimens, providing a coordinated system of quality control, sample tracking and distribution of specimens to appropriate investigators. The TPA has implemented policies and procedures to support these services and address technical, medical and legal issues, as well as protection of patient privacy and confidentiality. These policies developed in collaboration with area pathologists have contributed to the excellent compliance of block submission for the large population-based studies. The facility supports all of the SPORE projects and developmental studies, working with each individual investigator to accommodate their special research needs. The facility will also be the central site for tissue banking, IHC and FISH assays for the InterSPORE Neoadjuvant study.
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