The Tissue and Data Acquisition and Analysis Core (TDAAC) functions as the primary tissue acquisition and processing facility for human solid tissue and hematopoietic specimens to support translational research at the Virginia Commonwealth University Health System (VCUHS). To this end, TDAAC 1) maintains a biorepository, operating under an IRB approved protocol to store samples for future research studies and 2) collects samples for specific investigator-initiated IRB approved research projects and investigator-initiated clinical trials. For each specimen, TDAAC collects and maintains the associated clinical and pathological annotation and can provide this information under an anonymous honest broker system or for specific IRB approved protocols. These services are achieved through leveraging a network of interdepartmental and informatics relationships within VCU. TDAAC acquires specimens along with informed consent from patients undergoing routine clinical procedures at the VCUHS. TDAAC staff, in collaboration with Department of Pathology based Molecular Morphology Genomics Laboratory and Laser Capture Microdissection Laboratory, can provide samples of extracted, quality controlled RNA and DNA from human tissues, frozen sections, and cryopreserved samples of viable hematopoietic neoplasias. The specimen acquisition process ensures that the primary purpose of the specimen for patient care is maintained and the quality of the specimen is optimal for biomedical research. TDAAC's strategic importance resides in the growing need in modern cancer research for investigators to demonstrate that studies in model systems have relevance in human cancers. This shared resource provides services to a wide range of investigators from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Massey Cancer Center (MCC), the VCU research community, and collaborating institutions outside VCU. Over the years 2008-2010, the shared resource collected 2,428 solid tissue and hematopoietic specimens and obtained informed consent on nearly 1,600 patients and provided services to over 30 MCC members. For the period of January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2010, use by MCC members accounted for approximately 74% of services provided.
Access to human tissue in the form of both cancerous and normal cells is critical to furthering our understanding of cancer. The Tissue and Data Acquisition and Analysis Core provides such tissue in combination pathologic annotation to MCC investigators.
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