UAB has extensive experience in collecting, processing, storing, and supplying a wide range of human breast tissues to support Breast SPORE research. Fresh, frozen, and paraffin preparations of tissues can be supplied as well as histology services. The Breast SPORE 1) has established a bank of well characterized breast tumor specimens and matching uninvolved specimens from patients who have given specific informed consent for their tissues to be used in genetic and other types of research. Through October 2005, the Core has obtained research specimens from 1,168 patients with surgically resected diseases of the breast;over 4,000 specimens of breast or related tissues, including about 1,500 specimens of breast neoplasia, have been stored in a bank of frozen solid tissues;2) has processed to paraffin blocks over 3,000 breast specimens, including 1,300 carcinoma specimens. Tissue arrays have been constructed from these blocks as well as from diagnostic paraffin blocks;3) has provided frozen, paraffin processed and/or microdissected specimens for SPORE intramural as well as extramural investigators. The Core also offers investigators access to multiple experimental methods including light microscopic and immunocytochemical interpretation of animal and human tissues and cytologic materials and methods to detect gene products within cells and adjacent tissues. Investigators have access to techniques usually available only for human diagnostic pathology, including tissue microdissection, tissue arrays, antibody arrays, immunoelectron microscopy, computerized cytomorphometric analysis, special histology services, in situ hybridization, proteomic techniques including multidimensional electrophoresis, ELISA, multiplex immunoassay (Luminex), SELDI/MALDI-mass spectroscopy and flow cytometry. The Core permits the utilization of a shared set of reagents and centrally performed procedures that permits cross project comparisons of research on the same cases of breast cancer. Investigators are freed from duplication of basic work, allowing more productive work with the available resources and acceleration of experimental timetables. In summary, this Core aids investigators to reach their goals in breast cancer research;specifically, it provides samples of human tissues needed to complete research projects and aids in the research by providing methodological support for the research of SPORE investigators.
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