The overall goal of the University of Chicago Cancer Research Center (UCCRC) is to improve the prevention, detection, and treatment of cancer through our basic, clinical, translational, and population research activities. Therefore, the effective procurement, storage, use, and analysis of human biospecimens are of critical importance. Furthermore, the maintenance and expansion of these state-ofthe- art biospecimen procurement and storage facilities is vital to the future success of our cancer programs. To address these critical needs, the existing Laser Capture Microdissection (LCM) Core Facility was dramatically expanded and renamed the Human Tissue Resource Center (HTRC) Core. The mission of the HTRC is to provide cancer investigators with a centralized infrastructure to optimize the efficiency and costs related to research involving human biospecimens. The HTRC now comprises three integrated components: Biospecimen Bank (BSB), Laser Capture Microdissection (LCM), and Pathology Image Analysis (PIA). Currently, the HTRC provides services for the collection of clinicallyannotated human tissues, as well as blood, serum, plasma, and saliva for cancer-related research. In addition, the Core provides collaborative support and services for histopathology, LCM, tissue microarray preparation (TMA), and nucleic acid extraction. In this way, we provide a coordinated, centralized, and dedicated program for the procuring, processing, dispersing, and assessing all types of biospecimens. Over 39 peer-reviewed UCCRC investigators across six Scientific Programs routinely use the HTRC, totaling 70% of Facility usage. Many of these investigators use several of the Facility's components.
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