The AIDS and Cancer Specimen Resource (ACSR) of the National Cancer Institutes (NCI) AIDS Malignancy Program provides HIV/AIDS-related malignant tissues and data to funded/approved cancer researchers to promote a global understanding of the relationships between HIV infection and certain cancers. The Mid Region ACSR (MR-ACSR) consortium, including The Ohio State University (OSU), Emory University, Rush University, University of Tennessee, Memphis, and East African affiliates in Uganda and Kenya, proposes to (specific aim 1) maintain a mid-region ACSR (MR-ACSR) biorepository with affiliates that is compliant with all ACSR rules and recommendations including the NCI Best Practices for Biospecimen Resources and applicable federal regulations and is adequately structured with an Operations Office to perform the principal tasks of collecting, enhancing, storing, and distributing HIV-related, quality assured human tumor tissue with associated clinical, pathological, visual and demographic data to approved investigators. To assure best use of these resources, the MR-ACSR proposes to (specific aim 2) collaborate with ACSR regional biorepositories, NCI AIDS Malignancy Program (AMP) and other NCI AIDS related malignancy and cancer biorepository programs and The Ohio State University Department of Pathology's Human Tissue Resource Network (HTRN) to leverage quality specimen and data availability for translational research in the area of HIV/AIDS-related malignancies. To accomplish the overall objectives of the NCI to promote good health, the MR-ACSR must (specific aim 3) develop original and innovative programs to improve the quality, availability and relevance of biospecimens and associated data using the laboratory facilities and specimen resources of the MR-ACSR consortium including the East African affiliates, The Ohio State University Department of Pathology's HTRN and the Department of Biomedical Informatics caBIG project. MR-ACSR proposes the deployment of a new tissue fixation method to improve preservation of RNA, DNA and tissue proteins for research tissues. Tissue microarray (TMA) construction can be deployed using a """"""""field"""""""" construction format that facilitates diagnostic specimen collection in resource constrained locations. We propose to facilitate the tissue phenotyping of lymphoma (NHL) in sub-Saharan Africa using this TMA format with follow up distant processing and immunohistochemical staining. The MR-ACSR also has a supporting digital microscopy facility for remote visual Internet consultation using digitized images of tissue for data sharing with our collaborators in East Africa, particularly related to diagnostic consultation and review of pathology tissues in cancer clinical treatment trials. Finally, to make the best use of visual data and distant collaboration, the MR-ACSR proposes to work with the developers of caGrid as a clinical resource for digital image data.
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