Tissue Procurement and Biospecimens Core Facility The major objective of the Tissue Procurement and Biospecimens Core Facility is to support and enhance cancer-related translational, clinical, population and basic science research. This is achieved by providing UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center members with a centralized, coordinated, quality controlled, quality-assured facility for the procurement, processing, storage, and distribution of biologic specimens. Such specimens include normal and malignant tissue, blood, buccal samples, cell lysates, saliva, urine and adipose, collected from human subjects with and without cancer. The facility procures biologic specimens for utilizing its own IRB-approved protocols. The facility now serves over 50 IRB approved protocols. It will begin to serve the UNC Health Registry Cancer Survivorship Cohort protocol that incorporates a global consent process developed to support the enrollment into the planned 10,000 patient Cancer Survivorship Cohort with well-characterized, clinically annotated biologic specimens. The facility provides laboratory support and storage capabilities for both clinical and epidemiologic cancer research studies. For investigator driven studies, the core accommodates investigator specific needs and applications, including planning and performing experiments to optimize specimen handling. In addition, the facility supports many pilot studies and institutionally supported studies to obtain preliminary data for subsequent peer-reviewed grants, especially for newly recruited clinical faculty. During 2009, the facility collected tissue samples from 1094 patients and distributed 674 samples to LCCC members. A major service of the facility is DNA extraction, quantitation, normalization, quality analysis and aliquoting. Additionally, the core coordinates and integrates activities with several other cores, including the Translational Core, the Genomics Core, the Proteomics Core, the Next Generation Sequencing and Genotyping Core, the Biostatistics and Data Management Core, and the Bioinformatics Core. All aspects of sample processing are tracked, using a unique identifier, from arrival in the lab through processing, storage, and disbursement. Distribution of biologic specimens and corresponding data is facilitated by the Lineberger Data-Biologies Governance/Sharing Committees and guidelines. We request $297,439 in CCSG funds, representing 20% of the core's operating costs for 2010. Over 90% of the tissues use was by LCCC members. Members accounted for 79 % of blood and other biospecimen use.
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