Tissue and Research Pathology Services

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Abstract: Tissue and Research Pathology Services (TARPS) One of the essential components of any translational research investigation is the availability of high quality, appropriately selected human biospecimen samples. The Hillman Cancer Center (HCC) recognized the value of a good, systematic, scientifically, and ethically correct biospecimen repository more than 18 years ago and implemented a system-wide initiative for tissue and biological specimen accrual with the establishment of the Tissue and Research Pathology Service (TARPS) Shared Resource under the umbrella of the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) resource also known as the Pitt Biospecimen Core (formerly the Health Sciences Tissue Bank). TARPS has been housed and extensively supported by HCC and the Department of Pathology. This has led to the development of a well-organized biospecimen resource, providing high-quality, well-banked specimens with extensive database support providing the clinical annotation so essential to good research. TARPS is a CAP-certified biorepository and serves as the central hub, acquiring and triaging biospecimen materials and de-identified patient information. It is currently housed within the Department of Pathology diagnostic evaluation facilities, thus providing immediate access to specimens and patient information of interest. The resource has Pathologist administrative oversight and medical supervision at the three flagship hospitals (Presbyterian, Shadyside, Magee), and the largest community hospital (Passavant), with plans in progress to add Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh later in 2019. At HCC, TARPS has played an instrumental role in supporting multi-investigator and multi-institutional efforts including: The Cancer Genome Atlas Project (TCGA); the caHUB project as a funded site for the Biospecimen Pre-analytical Variables (BPV) task order; the NCI’s Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium (CPTAC), SPOREs in lung, head and neck, melanoma and skin, and ovarian cancers and many other collaborative team science projects. In FY2019, 65 out of 121 users were HCC members representing 6 CCSG research programs (CB, CEP, CII, CT, CV and GS). Usage was stable from 79% to 91% between 2015 and 2019.