The Biospecimen Core will provide collaborating investigators with both high-quality tissue samples (e.g., blood, urine, and surgical samples) and interpretative and consultative pathology services. Our over-arching goal is to facilitate translational research through collection of highly annotated biological material and associated clinical information. Thus, one of the major goals of this Core is to maintain and grow an existing tissue, urine, and blood resource (henceforth referred to as the ?Biobank?), which is linked to clinical outcome data within a secure data management system that will be available to Weill Cornell Medicine (WCM) SPORE in Prostate Cancer investigators as well as SPORE investigators at other institutions. Currently, the biobanks of Weill Cornell Medicine (WCM) have enrolled more than 6,000 patients, with fresh frozen tissue available for nearly 3,000 of these men. In addition to specimen collection, the Biospecimen Core will deliver multiple routine and advanced pathology services to collaborating investigators by coordinating and leveraging current Weill Cornell Medical College institutional resources. These services include histology, immunohistochemistry, DNA and RNA in situ hybridization, computer assisted image analysis, laser-capture micro-dissection, and the generation of and access to high-density tissue microarrays. Existing facilities and services that will be provided through the Biospecimen and Pathology Core include the Translational Research Program (TRP), the Englander Institute for Precision Medicine of WCM and New York-Presbyterian Hospital (NYPH) including the next-generation sequencing (NGS) capabilities of the WCM Core lab. Juan Miguel Mosquera, MD, and Brian Robinson, MD, as co-directors of the Biospecimen and Pathology Core, are cognizant that first and foremost they are responsible for the optimal clinical care and protection of our patients. Only after ensuring that sufficient information has been acquired to accurately grade and stage a patient's tumor will samples be registered into the biobank. Further, the Biospecimen Core places patient confidentiality and clinical care as a top priority. Patient confidentiality is guarded throughout the entire process, from collection of patient material to their use in research projects. Patient advocates involved in the SPORE program remind us of the importance of using these annotated samples for translational research to reduce suffering from prostate cancer (PCa) as we consider this our mission. !
BIOSPECIMEN CORE NARRATIVE Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related death in men in the US. The Biospecimen Core will play a key role in prostate cancer research by providing services to the SPORE Projects, which address germane questions across the spectrum of this disease.
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