Core 2: Biospecimen/Pathology Core

University Of Michigan At Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor MI

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

The overall goal of the Michigan Prostate SPORE Biospecimen/Pathology Core is to collect biological materials with associated clinical information to facilitate translational prostate cancer research. The Core places patient confidentiality and clinical care as a top priority. As a coordinated effort between pathology, urology, medical oncology, radiation oncology, and Michigan Prostate SPORE researchers, the Core has developed a unified informatics infrastructure that provides researchers a wide range of annotated samples. The specific goals of the Core include: (1) Protection of patient welfare. The highest priority is given to assure that no research protocol compromises pathology diagnosis or tumor staging. (2) Acquisition and processing of prostate tissues for research. The Core assures that the widest range of prostate tissues and derived biomolecules are available from various sources, including benign prostate tissue from patients without any known prostatic disease, clinically localized prostate cancer, and metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (Michigan Legacy Tissue Program). (3) High quality pathologic review of prostate tissues. Expert GU pathologists assure uniform review of prostate tissue samples. (4) Pathology consultation for the purpose of designing translational research projects. This service focuses on determining the types of tissues and amount required for the successful completion of the research projects. (5) Quality assessment of prostate tissues and clinical data. The Biospecimen/Pathology Core staff regularly evaluate frozen and formalin fixed tissues for adequacy. (6) Development of technology appropriate for pathology-based translational research. These technologies include novel targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) methods to profile extracted RNA from post-digital rectal exam urine, next-generation molecular profiling utilizing spatial transcriptomics (10X Genomics Visium), and novel prostate cancer-focused targeted NGS assays available for profiling tissue-extracted DNA and RNA from prostate cancer tumor specimens. (7) Provide support to ongoing clinical studies. The Core will continue to provide tissue procurement services and/or high-quality pathology reviews of specimens from patients enrolled in various clinical trials and studies. (8) Maintenance of clinical and pathology data with links to molecular studies. The Core will continue to expand the detailed clinical and pathology database conforming to the NCI’s Common Data Elements (CDE) guidelines, permitting queries between molecular findings and clinically relevant outcomes. Michigan Prostate SPORE patient advocates will continue to provide their valuable input regarding direction of the Biospecimen/Pathology Core. In summary, the Core will provide SPORE investigators with a wealth of carefully annotated samples for translational research, while maintaining the highest level of clinical care and patient confidentiality.