CORE--TISSUE PROCUREMENT AND MOLECULAR GENETICS CORE

Duke University, Durham NC

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): We hypothesize that a tissue bank organized around an integrated histologic and molecular diagnostic laboratory with all research and clinical information available from a constantly updated database is an essential element to the success of this SPORE. This SPORE facility benefits from 15 years with the Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center and has accumulated over 2000 normal and neoplastic systemic tissues and over 1600 CNS tumor samples and 800 matched blood samples. The integrated clinical and basic science team I gathers, diagnoses and analyzes the banked specimens in order that researchers will have access to histologically and genotypically uniform tumors. The four goals of the Tissue Procurement and Genetics Shared Resource are: (1) to provide DNA, RNA, and tissue from normal and neoplastic brain and other body sites as control tissues, as well as DNA and RNA from blood to programs and investigators within the SPORE in a manner in which they can be used for a variety of studies and techniques under the oversight of the SPORE Tissue Committee; (2) to apply an integrated tissue bank/clinical data informatics system that allows the rapid identification of patient groups based on common demographics, clinical data, tissue diagnoses, and or imaging studies and the efficient management and analysis of data from research results and clinical outcome under the oversight of a Tissue Committee; (3) to provide molecular genetic, molecular cytogenetic, and histologic analysis of banked samples in order to detect markers of classification, grading, and therapeutic response and to translate these findings into clinical trials with all Projects in this SPORE; (4) to provide qualitative and quantitative assessments at the molecular, cellular, and histologic level of markers discovered in this SPORE for the translation of these basic discoveries into clinical trials. Initially we will characterize the intratumoral and intertumoral heterogeneity and prognostic significance of the newly identified tumor glial cell surface marker, carbonic anhydrase, MRP3, and EGFR.