Tissue Procurement, Processing Facility and Biorepository

Division Of Basic Sciences - Nci

Investigators

Abstract

The Tissue Processing and Procurement Facility (TPPF) of the Laboratory of Pathology (LP) is staffed by two Pathologists Assistants (PAs for Pathology) and a Technical Laboratory Manager (TLM), who each also supports the General Surgical Pathology, Clinical Operations and Histology services. The TPPF also houses LP's frozen section room and is contiguous to the Clinical Center's Operating Rooms (ORs). The connection to the OR allows LP's PAs to support time-sensitive tissue procurement inside the operating room or immediately following collection and delivery to the TPPF. This allows immediate processing and preservation of tissues procured for diagnosis and research. The PAs act as liaisons between OR staff, research teams, and pathology staff by coordinating tissue procurements in the operating room, which entails facilitation of the complex procurements that often involve multiple investigators and multiple protocols simultaneously. PAs work with investigators, identifying what tissues need to be procured, how they are to be stabilized and what protocols allow the tissue procurement to occur, all while preserving the diagnostic integrity of the tissue. The PAs perform or participate in most research tissue procurements, processing and distribution to the research labs. This system allows as many investigators as possible to benefit, all while meeting the standard-of-care for anatomic pathology. This past year, PAs participated in 1,094 total procurement cases. This included processing 3,924 tissues procured. PAs performed gross analysis and dictation for 2,830 cases in the surgical pathology service, while also training new clinical residents each year in tissue procurement and frozen sections for intra-operative consult cases.