The priinary aim of the M.D. Ancierson Cancer Center Leukemia SPORE is to improve the treatment of patients with leukemia. A fundamental component to meeting this objective is the conduct of focused translational research involving human tissue and blood specimens, allowing investigation of the biology of target and normal tissues, evaluation of treatment effects on both target and normal tissue, and modulation of, relevant biomarkers. The Pathology and Tissue Core will collect, process, and maintain human tissue specimens from patients and m distribute these tissues to the Leukemia SPORE investigators. The Pathology and Tissue Core has the following aims: 1. Develop and maintain a repository of intact cells, serum, DNA, RNA, and protein derived from blood and bone marrow specimens obtained from patients with leukemia and MDS receiving care or evaluation at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and other centers participating in SPORE-associated clinical trials. Samples are collected and processed at the time of diagnosis and during/after therapy with SPORE-associated clinical protocols, while in remission or at relapse. The Core will distribute tissue specimens to the Leukemia SPORE investigators for analysis and provide expertise in the interpretation of studies performed on tissue sections within Leukemia SPORE projects. The Core will provide comprehensive hematopathologic characterization of the samples used in Leukemia SPORE projects. 2. Maintain a comprehensive, prospective interactive database with detailed clinical and pathologic data for patients with leukeiTiia and MDS receiving care or evaluation at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and other centers participating in SPORE-associated clinical trials. 3. Facilitate inter-leukemia SPORE and extra-leukemia SPORE collaborations through sharing of blood and marrow resources. Over the past 9 years of funding, the Core has fulfilled its mission of providing samples to all Leukemia SPORE projects, as well as outside investigators'requests. In the current funding period (2008-2011), we have distributed 10,278 vials of material to 95 requests to SPORE researchers as well as leukemia researchers outside the SPORE.
Research into leukemia depends on the availability of leukemic samples obtained from patients. These leukemic cells are used to make DNA, RNA and protein, which are used to identify the characteristics of the disease and viable cells which are used to test how leukemic cells respond to stimulation, or potential new therapies. This Core provides the patient samples that are key to understanding and curing leukemia.
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