Malignant ovarian tumors confinue to cause significant morbidity and mortality. Methods for predicfing and regulafing biologic behavior are needed. The primary mission of the FCCC-PENN Biosample and Tissue Procurement Core (BTPC) is to provide SPORE investigators with a centralized facility which contains the resource materials required for research studies in ovarian tumors. Procedures established by the BTPC vyill ensure the systemafic collection and storage of needed tissue and blood samples from patients with ovarian tumors seen at FCCC-PENN, and the preparation and distribufion of high-quality samples according to the needs of the specific research projects. The BTPC will also provide expert pathological evaluafion of fissue samples and clinical specimens. The BTPC has access to a very large collection of human fissue biopsies and resecfion specimens including fresh, frozen and paraffin-embedded fissues received in the Surgical Pathology laboratories of FCCC-PENN. Biosample collection, preparation, inventory, distribution and related clinical annotation data are computerized and integrated into the caBIG"""""""" caTissue Suite application. The mains goals of the FCCC-PENN BTPC will be to: 1. Collect, evaluate, process, and archive pathologic tissue and biosamples from patients with neoplastic ovarian lesions. 2. Select, prepare, interpret and distribute well-characterized tissue samples from normal ovary, precursor lesions, and primary and metastatic tumors, according to the specifications and resources of the Projects. 3. Establish and distribute primary fibroblast and epithelial cell cultures of normal ovaries. 4. Maintain a computerized database of banked biospecimens. 5. Provide expert pathological staining and evaluafion of tissue samples. 6. Evaluate constitutive DNA from individuals at an increased risk of ovarian cancer for mutations in BRCAl and BRCA2.
The Biosample and Tissue Procurement Core will provide excellent expertise in molecular biology, cancer genefics, and clinical pathology to aid in the collecfion, distribution and analysis of clinical materials and accompanying informafion to support the translational studies proposed in this Ovarian Cancer SPORE.
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