Translational Pathology Core

PROJECT SUMMARY-ABSTRACT (Translational Pathology Core) The overarching mission of the Translational Pathology Core is to collect human tissues associated with clinical information and distribute to SPORE investigators to facilitate translational research. The Translational Pathology Core will be housed and administered within the Department of Pathology to ensure

uncompromised patient care, optimal use of limited tissue resources, and patient confidentiality. The specific goals of the core include: (1) Uncompromised patient care and proper surgical pathology diagnosis. All tissues will be collected under IRB-approved protocols. (2) Prospective procurement of appropriate brain, breast,

pancreas and other future tissues as dictated by the needs of the SPORE projects. The core will work closely with and enhance the existing Tissue Procurement Service of the Tissue and Molecular Pathology Shared Resource of the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center. Dr. Thomas Giordano has been a director of this

shared resource continuously since 1996. (3) Expert pathology review of human tissues from surgical pathology specimens. Dr. Sriram Venneti, a neuropathologist and accomplished glioma investigator, will review all brain tissues, Dr. Jiaqi Shi, a GI pathologist with special expertise in pancreas cancer, will review all

pancreas tissues, and Dr. Thomas Giordano, a surgical pathologist with decades of experience in breast pathology, will review all breast tissues. As needed, other expert pathologists from the Department of Pathology will be recruited to support the core. (4) Tissue-based gene expression and biomarker validation

studies, such as immunohistochemistry, as indicated by the needs of the SPORE projects. Dr. Dafydd Thomas, an expert in tissue-based investigation, will lead these efforts. Collectively, the services of the Translational Pathology Core will support the projects by facilitating translational research and also enhance

the resources of other NCI-supported networks.