The Tissue Procurement and Banking Facility (TPBF) is an established CCSG- supported core facility at the MDACC, that provides peer-funded basic science and clinical investigators at this institution with human tumor tissues that have been removed for biopsy or therapeutic resections, for on-going research projects. The TPBF functions to procure virtually all pathologic tumor tissue from patient procedures, that is not used for initial diagnosis, follow-up diagnostic studies, including cryogenically stored for future clinical follow-up. This tumor tissue is obtained to provide fresh, sterile (if requested), well-characterized human tumor specimens expeditiously (, 1 hour), to the wide spectrum of research scientists involved in virtually every type of human tumor investigation. Special preservation procedures will be instituted for nucleic acids and other methodologies for genomic analysis. The TPBF, that stores and triages tumor tissue for disease-site tumor programs, as well as cryopreservation, is being expanded into new, specifically designated and appropriate out-fitted space, to provide for more efficient and inclusive tumor banking facilities. The expanded banking facility will not only provide state-of-the-art cryopreservation facilities, but will also include an interactive database that will provide all pertinent information on tumor specimens procured by the TPBF. It will also interface with other institutional databases (hospital, pathology, epidemiology, etc.) that can provide vital and important data and other pertinent information to the searcher such as confidentiality/security.
The specific aims of this proposal involve: 1) providing a flexible specialized tissue procurement resource providing for the efficient and expeditious delivery of freshly-obtained, well characterized tumor tissue to requesting investigators; 2) to develop a contemporary, centralized institution-wide tumor tissue procurement and banking core facility which will provide tissue compatible with current and predicted methodologies for analysis of DNA, RNA and protein as well as other methods of analysis; 3) to develop an interactive, accessible computer database which will provide epidemiology, family history, patient treatment and patient outcome and 4) to coordinate with existing individual """"""""satellite"""""""", programmatically administered and funded tissue banks currently operational within the institution.
Showing the most recent 10 out of 12418 publications
