Collaborative Human Tissue Network

描述（由申请人提供）：协作人体组织网络是一个成功项目的延续，旨在增加人体组织的供应和质量，以支持癌症研究。阿拉巴马大学伯明翰分校（UAB）作为CHTN的南方分部（SD），自1987年以来有效地参与了CHTN在全国范围内的所有活动。已经建立的政策和指导方针为癌症研究人员提供了一个可靠的来源，提供了广泛的经过专业处理的、具有良好特征的、高质量的人体组织以及相关的组织病理学和人口统计学数据。然而，生物储存库操作面临的新挑战正在出现。目前癌症研究的进展，包括围绕个性化医疗研究的问题，导致对组织样本的需求增加和更复杂的要求。同时，医疗保健的变化，如术前治疗，使用高分辨率成像代替组织诊断，以及不断变化的监管环境正在影响组织收集。政府统计处的领导团队已采取积极主动的态度，以满足癌症研究人员未来的需要。(1)通过征聘更多的参与场址加强业务；转移性病变和未经治疗的档案石蜡块的使用增加

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The Collaborative Human Tissue Network is a continuation of a successful program to increase the supply and quality of human tissues to support research in cancer. The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), as the Southern Division (SD) of the CHTN, has participated effectively in all CHTN operations at the national level since 1987. The policies and guidelines that have been established have resulted in a dependable source for cancer researchers of a wide range of expertly processed, well-characterized and high quality human tissues with associated histopathologic and demographic data. New challenges to biorepository operations are emerging, however. The current advances in cancer research, including the issues surrounding research into personalized medicine, have resulted in an increase in demand for tissue samples and more complex requests. Concurrently, changes in medical care, such as preoperative therapy, use of high resolution imaging instead of tissue diagnoses, as well as a changing regulatory environment are affecting tissue collections. The leadership team of the SD has taken a proactive stance to meet the future needs of cancer investigators. (1) Enhancement of operations through recruitment of additional participating sites; increased use of archival paraffin blocks for metastatic lesions and untreated primary tumors; use of novel techniques, including nitrocellulose blots, for obtaining aliquots of small tissue specimens; and development of a rapid autopsy program. These are accompanied by increased education of investigators as to use of alternative tissues (e.g., autopsy, paraffin blocks) and to specimen limitations; (2) Enhancement of quality assurance and quality control through participation in external accreditation processes; and (3) Enhancement of the ethical and regulatory stance through expansion of utilization of patient advocates. The informatics system is critical to all biorepository functions and the SD proposes development of an Investigators' IT system that utilizes new-era interoperability and linked big-data systems. It als proposes an increased emphasis on training and proficiency testing in IT systems, coupled with greater utilization of the Web for access to and training in SOPs. The SD reaffirms its commitment to the operations of the CHTN as a whole. In addition to ongoing involvement at the leadership level, it continues significant collaborative efforts with individual divisions, including supplying tissues for microarrays and beta-testing of modifications of the current IT system. Since 2008, the SD has provided 20,287 fresh, frozen and fixed human aliquots to 264 investigators. Notably, within the CHTN network it provides complex specimens including aliquots of tissue processed within 30 minutes of collection; macrodissected paraffin and frozen tissues and mRNA/DNA samples as well as detailed clinical information and follow-up to investigators. It is one of the leading providers of fresh tissue samples and body fluids and the leading provider of samples from African-American patients.