The Human Tissue Acquisition and Pathology Shared Resource (HTAP) is one of the largest Shared Resources for the DLDCC. The purpose is to offer sophisticated histologic techniques and to provide tissues to Cancer Center members. The Shared Resource director and key personnel have extensive experience in tissue acquisition, bank maintenance and distribution, and the various histologic services offered by the Resource, The HTAP has 2 major services: Tissue Acquisition and Distribution and Histology Services, The HTAP tumor banking and distribution services were built on the basis of previously existing tumor banks at BCM that began over 20 years ago. These include general tumor banks at the Ben Taub General Hospital Michael DeBakey VA hospital and Texas Children's Hospital;the Baylor Breast, Prostate and Lymphoma Spore banks, as well as banks in the fields of pancreas, colon and rectum, and ovarian cancers. They now have been rolled into the DLDCC HTAP and are integrated not only at the level of standard operating procedures (SOPs) and guidelines for distribution of tissues, but also in the administrative management of personnel and budgets. This synchronization of resources and efforts results in a synergistic operation that provides cost effective services, increased tumor banking accruals, better reliability and quality and a more fair distribution system. Tissue acquisition has almost tripled. Since 2006 we have also deployed a new proactive tissues acquisition system were """"""""patient tissue advocate"""""""" is responsible not only for consenting, but for the acquisition and prompt transfer of tissues. Tissues are now banked frozen, paraffin, and for RNA preservation. Tissues are characterized and data entered into a newly established tissue bank database. We are implementing 2 dimensional barcoding and have established emergency backup systems for storage freezers. The histology services have all been centralized in a research exclusive histology laboratory under the HTAP. By centralizing our laboratory services and making this an exclusive research enterprise we have achieved stability of resources and services and cost efficiency relative to outside vendors or small individual research or departmental driven laboratories. Furthermore, by pooling instrumentation we provide better access to specialized technologies, methodologies and unique services that are specific to our cancer center. Histology has provided services to 33 investigators. We have also acquired and distributed tissues throughout programs in the DLDCC. In the future we plan to expand our banking efforts to diagnostic biopsies and expand our databasing efforts to include electronic tablet consenting.
Tissues are the basis of translational research. Without human tissues we would not be able to translate our basic findings to human disease. HTAP is involved in the collection of tissues and facilitates its use.
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