Director: Gregory T. MacLennan, MD
Professor, Pathology
gregory.maclennan@UHhospitals.org

Associate Director of IHC: Dawn M. Dawson, MD
Assistant Professor, Pathology
dawn.dawson@UHhospitals.org

Medical Advisor: Joseph E. Willis, MD
Associate Professor, Pathology
joseph.willis@case.edu

Services

The Tissue Resources Core facility is a specialized unit of the Human Tissue Procurement Facility (HTPF) that supports Cancer Center member researchers by acquiring, preserving, and distributing high quality human tissues and providing priority histology, immunohistochemistry, and tissue microarray services for both human and animal tissues. Services are open to all Cancer Center members on an equal basis. Free parking is provided to members picking up samples who work off the CWRU/University Hospitals campus.

Samples are for research purposes only and may not be used for clinical diagnosis or implantation into humans. Clinical information relating to the samples and donors are collected and maintained in a secure database. Samples and data are de-identified or de-linked before release to the researcher unless he/she has specific IRB approval to gain access to this information.

Please note: Researchers must complete a formal application and have an IRB approval or exemption for the study to access human tissue from the Core.

Services available:

Tissue Procurement and Annotation

Tissue Procurement team works directly with surgical pathologists to obtain samples
Custom protocol development for tissue collection and processing
Quality control reviews on human tissue samples are conducted to verify diagnosis before release to investigators (unless needed immediately)

Types of Tissue Available

Normal, benign, diseased, and malignant tissues from surgeries and autopsies
Matched normal adjacent tissue and tissues from different organ sites of the same donor with special emphasis on accessing metastatic samples
Tissues are collected from over 50 anatomic sites
No samples are collected from individuals with known infectious illnesses
Fetal biospecimens are not collected due to state and local statutes

Standard Data

Patient confidentiality is strictly maintained through the use of sample code numbers
Coded Surgical Pathology or Autopsy Reports containing final diagnosis
Tissue type and histopathologic status, sample weight or dimensions
Demographics (age in years, race, gender)

Additional Data Available

Chart reviews performed upon request to obtain additional clinical information
De-linked specimens are not traceable, and as such no further information can be obtained for these samples.

Tissue Processing

Preparations according to user-defined protocols
Frozen specimens, OCT-embedded and paraffin-embedded tissues, sections, cores, and stained or unstained slides
Freezing in liquid or vapor phase of liquid nitrogen
Sterile dissection
RNA preservation
Custom QC sampling

Biospecimen Banking

Collection, annotation and storage of remnant human tissues, blood and other body fluids targeted towards cancer and other medical research, for current and future research projects
Long-term, controlled storage of biospecimens for specific researchers
Access to QC research blocks maintained by the HTPF
Peripheral blood and bone marrow samples from initial visits and follow-up procedures processed by Hematopoietic Stem Cell Core to obtain serum and cell fractions for storage

View chart of available samples in the biorepository

Access to Archived Clinical Blocks

Access to UHCMC clinical archives of paraffin blocks

Tissue Microarrays (TMAs)

Custom design and production of Tissue Microarrays

Histology

Fixation of researcher-supplied tissues
Paraffin, OCT or methacrylate embedding
Serial sectioning and custom orientations
Unstained slides, Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) staining, special morphological stains, and enzyme histochemistry available

Immunohistochemistry (IHC), Immunofluorescence and In situ hybridization

Routine immunohistochemistry and protocol development of commercially available and novel antibodies
In situ hybridization service in development – Please inquire
Over 90 assays available

Microscopy and Digital Imaging

Light, fluorescence, and phase contrast microscopy
Digital imaging for Histology, IHC, & TMA prepared slides

Consultation and Training

Consulting services on tissue availability for different disease areas and what can be expected in terms of sample size, availability of matched normal tissues, and matched primary and metastatic tissues form the same donor
Information source regarding Institutional Review Board (IRB) requirements for research uses of discarded human tissues and patient privacy regulations (HIPAA)
Assistance throughout application process for access to biospecimens
Advice on histology and IHC stains that may be appropriate for a particular study
TMA design including cancer subtypes, positive and negative controls, physical layouts
Training on use of microtomes and cryostats, which are available on a rental basis

Resources

Fully equipped laboratories for tissue collection, processing, histology, and immunohistochemistry work
Six liquid nitrogen freezers with 40,000 total sample capacity, equipped with electronic monitoring, automated fill and alarm systems
Workstations for data collection and management; access to hospital databases
Daily access to Tissue Tek VIP automatic tissue processor
BioCare Medical Nemesis 7200 IHC Automated Slides Stainer (continuous access, 72-slide capacity)
BioCare Medical IQ3000 Kinetic Slide Stainer for temperature controlled incubations and in situ hybridization protocols (36-slide capacity)
Pathology Devices Semi-Automated Tissue Microarray Maker (TMArrayer) for both paraffin embedded and frozen tissues
Instrumedics Paraffin Tape Transfer System for sectioning and optimal tissue recovery from TMA blocks
Olympus BX41 Microscope with motorized scanning stage, light, phase contrast, fluorescence, and digital imaging capabilities
Two Leica 1850 Cryostats and one 1800 Cryostat all with Peltier cooling for preparation of frozen section slides
Leica RM2255 Full-Automated Microtome and several other microtomes for cutting of blocks and preparation of paraffin section slides
Hacker-Bright Model 5030 Microtome for cutting of blocks and preparation of methacrylate section slides

Fees

View the list of fees (PDF)

Policies of Operation

View Policies of Operation (PDF)

Instructions to Investigators and Links to Forms

Tissue Research Application/Template

HTPF Registration Form to Receive Human Tissues for Research

Data Use Agreement Form for Human Tissues

Flowcharts

Acknowledgement

Remember to acknowledge the valuable services provided by Cancer Center Core Facilities in your research papers and publications:
"This research was supported by the Tissue Resources Core Facility of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center (P30 CA43703)."

Contact for Information

Locations: Wearn Building, Rm. 333 (Tissue Procurement, IHC and TMA Services) and Institute of Pathology, Rm. B-12 (Histology)

Director: Gregory T. MacLennan, MD
216.844.7452
gtm2@case.edu

Associate Director of IHC: Dawn M. Dawson, MD
216.368.5912
dawn.dawson@UHhospitals.org

Director of Operations: Robert E. Wyza, MS
216.844.5389
fax 216.844.4911
rew7@case.edu

Tissue Procurement Manager: Wendi Barrett, BA
216.844.3939
wxb8@case.edu

Histology Manager: Nancy L. Edgehouse, BS
216.368.8700
nle@case.edu

IHC and TMA Services: Adam Kresak, BS
216.844.0076
amk41@case.edu

Shared Resources

Tissue Resources Core Facility