The Pathology Core Facility of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center provides pathologicalanalysis and specimen procurement, processing and distribution services to the NU research community.Pathological analysis in the past was mostly limited to routine tissue processing, staining and a limited panelof immunohistochemical stains. Today, pathological analysis in cancer research involves more sophisticatedtesting, including high-throughput tissue microarray generation, novel immunohistochemistry, in situhybridization, or digital imaging analysis for the objective assessment of tissue based assays. Similarly,specimen procurement, processing and distribution are increasingly more sophisticated today. Cancerresearchers now require technologies such as DNA/RNA/mRNA extraction, generation of cell monolayersfrom body fluids, laser capture microdissection, isolation of circulating tumor cells, and other technologies toaddress cancer-related questions. An exciting development in cancer care in the past few years is the useof targeted therapies and the sub-stratification of patients into more precise treatment groups. Examplesinclude her2/neu testing by FISH or IHC in breast cancer, thymidylate synthase testing in colon cancer, MSItesting in colon cancer, c-kit testing in a variety of tumors, pharmacogenomics and others. Other examplesof these 'cutting-edge' approaches to cancer research are presented throughout this grant. The PCF isfortunate to be at the forefront of these exciting developments in cancer care in its capacity as the ReferenceLaboratory for the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group. Continued funding of the PCF infrastructure willallow it to continue to meet the growing and increasingly complex needs of cancer patients and cancerresearchers.
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