Tissue Procurement Core Facility
Lynda B. Bennett, Director
The Pathology and Anatomical Sciences Tissue Procurement Core Facility (PAS-TPCF) was established in 2006 and is located on the second floor of the Medical Sciences Building. Initially created through a generous gift, the Susan Koplar Brown Cancer Tissue and Cell Repository has grown into the University of Missouri School of Medicine Tissue Procurement Core Facility. The core operates as a centralized facility for the procurement and distribution of fresh and frozen tissue to University of Missouri investigators under the direction of Dr. Lynda Bennett. We maintain a HSIRB-approved protocol for human specimen banking.
The goal of the Tissue Procurement Core is to provide high quality remnant tissue specimens for biomedical research. After pathologists have examined tissue removed during surgical operations, remnants of the resected neoplastic and non-neoplastic tissues are procured for potential research. Tissue in this core is only collected if resection is part of standard medical care, and only after the specimen has been examined by a pathologist who has obtained all the material needed for clinical management, thus ensuring that patient care is not compromised in any way. We are collecting cancer specimens, as part of the Susan Koplar Brown Cancer Tissue and Cell Repository, as well as normal tissue samples (for comparison), and tissue from benign, hyperplastic lesions.
Resected specimens are sent to the frozen section laboratory where they are dissected for diagnosis by the pathology physicians. Excess tissue is collected by a member of the Tissue Core, and is snap frozen in an isopentane cryobath. Once frozen, tissue is transferred to a liquid nitrogen vapor cryotank for long term storage. Dedicated storage facilities can currently accommodate more than 6,000 specimens. The facility is also equipped with a Pixcell II laser capture microdissection microscope, and a Pentium-based data management system.
As tumors frequently undergo mutations or rearrangements in DNA, it is often useful to have germline DNA as a reference for molecular studies. Whenever peripheral blood has also been drawn during the course of clinical management, the Tissue Core retrieves unused blood and extracts DNA which is stored in a -80°C mechanical freezer.
Specimen information is stored in a database called caTissue Core which was developed by Washington University in St. Louis as a part of the National Cancer Institute's caBIGT program. The PAS-TPCF ensures that all ethical and administrative guidelines are followed in the procurement and distribution of tissues for research purposes. Physicians and Investigators interested in utilizing banked tissue are encouraged to contact Dr. Lynda Bennett at 573-884-1743 or via email - bennettlb@missouri.edu.
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