Core A is responsible for the collection, processing, classification, storage, and distribution of blood, bone marrow, and their components from patients with monoclonal gammopathies for all Program Project Investigators. Samples from normal controls within Southeast Minnesota are also collected for Project I. In close coordination with Core B, we collect and store the associated clinical and laboratory information for those patients with monoclonal gammopathies. The Core is responsible for characterizing plasma cells from patients with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance, smoldering multiple myeloma, multiple myeloma, and primary systemic amyloidosis according to their morphologic, immunophenotypic, proliferative, and DNA content. Bone marrow samples are CD138+ selected and either stored as sorted cells or further processed into DNA and RNA components for immediate use or storage. Slides of fresh bone marrow cell suspensions are also created from all research specimens for immediate or future hybridization experiments. Bone marrow core biopsy material will be stored. Investigators of Core A work closely with Project Leaders and Core B personnel on continuously modernizing and integrating the clinical database and the serum, cell, slide, DNA, and RNA banks to provide specimens for future studies rapidly and efficiently. This Core also serves as a national resource of material for investigators interested in the monoclonal gammopathies. With the continued database modernization efforts, Core A has the capacity to quickly identify and retrieve specimens based on diagnosis, clinical features, sample type and investigator usage.
The Specific Aims of the Core follow: 1. Collection, processing, storage, and distribution of blood and bone marrow samples from patients with monoclonal gammopathies to provide specimens to Program Project investigators and to serve as a national resource of material from patients with monoclonal gammopathies. 2. Acquisition of clinical and laboratory data from and classification of patients with monoclonal gammopathies. 3. Continued development and modernization of a single integrated clinical database and serum, cell, slide, DNA, and RNA bank. 4. Specialized testing on cohorts of patients as required by program project investigators for current and future studies, including assessment of morphologic, immunophenotypic, proliferative status, and DNA content of bone marrow plasma cells.
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