Biorepository & Tissue Analysis Shared Resource

The Hollings Cancer Center (HCC) Biorepository & Tissue Analysis (BTA) Shared Resource (SR) provides investigators with access to meticulously collected and annotated human specimens as well as advanced human and animal tissue analyses that require state-of-the-art instrumentation and expertise. The shared resource comprises several integrated services, including a biospecimen and data repository; customized and readily available tissue microarrays; RNA and DNA extractions; research pathology services, including histologic analysis of fixed, frozen, and stained tissues; and analysis/interpretation of experimental results. Three general themes underlie BTA activities that position us to deliver on our three Specific Aims, which offer: 1) tissue and clinical data acquisition; 2) tissue microarrays and analysis, and 3) integrated pathology services. Since 2013, BTA has collected more than 26,500 cancer-associated biospecimens from patients with solid tumors and hematological malignancies, all of which are annotated and linked to clinical data. A notable feature of BTA is its ability to tailor the accrual of specimens to meet the specific needs of HCC members. Currently, more than 25% of BTA tissue donors are from those typically underrepresented in biorepositories and cancer research. During the current funding period, BTA supported the research of 41 HCC members, resulting in 64 peer-reviewed publications. BTA has made impactful contributions to advance cancer research at HCC, including identifying specimens from underserved patients with Sea Island ancestry and using MALDI imaging to study protein glycosylation patterns in cancer. In addition to serving a growing group of HCC members, BTA contributes to major national biorepository efforts, including the NCI-funded Cooperative Human Tissue Network, and the DOD-funded multi-center NCORP Early Onset Malignancies Initiative (EOMI). BTA has also contributed to the success of the U54 SC CADRE grant and the construction of a fully functioning biorepository at South Carolina State University (SCSU). Under the leadership Angela Yoon, DDS (CBI), BTA has created a tumor tissue biorepository that serves as an important scientific resource for HCC members interested in linking basic biology findings to the prevention, clinical diagnosis, and treatment of human cancer.