Tissue Procurement Shared Facility

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CLINICAL RESEARCH GROUP TISSUE PROCUREMENT SHARED FACILITY (TPSF) ABSTRACT The goal of the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center Tissue Procurement Shared Facility (TPSF) is to promote the research undertaken by UAB-CCC investigators by ensuring the availability of relevant, high quality human tissues. The TPSF accomplishes this through the collection, processing, storage, and distribution of a wide range of human tissues. Neoplastic and control tissues are supplied as fresh, frozen, paraffin-processed specimens or tissue sections. Bodily fluids and fluid components also can be provided. Pathologists evaluate all solid tissues supplied for research for quality and diagnostic accuracy. The supplementary services provided, including specialized histology, macrodissection and customized clinical data, are of demonstrable significance to the UAB-CCC investigators as are the ability of the TPSF to work effectively with other UAB- CCC Shared Facilities and affiliates. The TPSF leadership provides expert individual guidance to the UAB- CCC investigators in experimental design and the effective use of emerging methodologies in basic and translational research, as well as ensuring compliance in the changing regulatory environment. The leadership's expertise is based on active research in the area of tissue processing and banking as well as their participation in educational and outreach programs at the local, national and international levels. Strategic planning has been used to harness institutional and philanthropic resources to expand the capabilities of the Facility while improving the cost-effectiveness of its operations. Initiatives that have been undertaken since 2011 include extensive renovations, updating of equipment and harmonization of standard-operating- procedures for accreditation by the College of American Pathologists; continued improvements in information technology applications that will enhance research capabilities while reducing labor costs; and establishment of the CCC Tissue Bank. Institutional support has permitted targeted recruitment of an additional pathologist, an informatics specialist, and a pathology physician's assistant to aid the TPSF. The TPSF serves investigators in all six UAB-CCC programs and since 2011 its involvement in clinical trials has tripled. It plays a central role in promoting the mission of the Cancer Center in terms of providing tissues from African-American patients that support their inclusion in early translational studies. From March 2011 to March 2015 the TPSF has supported requests from 57 UAB-CCC investigators and has supported 32 clinical trials. Between January and December 2014 the facility provided 38 UAB-CCC investigators with 919 fresh or frozen human tissue samples, 754 paraffin blocks, and 12,925 slides. TPSF-supported research has been reported in over 120 publications during this time period. Since 1978, the facility has provided approximately 212,000 tissue specimens, blocks, and slides to investigators at UAB. These have been used in a total of 1,295 publications.