Core A: Biorepository Core

BIOREPOSITORY/ PATHOLOGY CORE: PROJECT SUMMARY The Biorepository/Pathology Core will collect and distribute clinically annotated human biospecimens related to ovarian cancer and will provide pathologic expertise and support for tissue-based analyses for investigators in the Johns Hopkins-University of Pennsylvania (UPENN) Ovarian Cancer SPORE. The main resource and operation of this Core will be based on the current Gynecologic Cancer Biorepository (GCB) Bank that has been a co-joint operation among the JHU Oncology Center, the Kelly Gynecologic Oncology Service in the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, and the Division of Gynecologic Pathology. The GCB bank was established in 2000 and expanded through the support of a US DoD-sponsored program project and subsequently by the DoD- sponsored Ovarian Cancer Consortium Program. The GCB supports the current Ovarian SPORE Program and the on-going NCI Early Detection Research Network (EDRN) studies at JHU. The Cellular Therapy Tissue Facility (CTTF) at UPENN will provide all tissue procurement and processing for Project 2 (at UPENN) and will procure and process tissue to support Projects 1 and 3 at JHU. The CTTF collects and processes fresh tumor tissue acquired directly from the operating rooms at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania Hospital, as well as from external institutions, including Chester County Hospital. Tissue will be shared between JHU and UPENN, as well with other collaborating institutions. Thus, the Ovarian Cancer SPORE Biorepository/Pathology Core will incorporate and build on a pre-existing infrastructure. In the last few years, the Repository has been expanded to include expert diagnostic pathology and molecular pathology consultation to investigators, including guidance for quantitative digital image analyses-guided molecular studies of tissues. Specimens are collected under the supervision of pathologists with expertise in gynecologic pathology, in close collaboration with gynecologic oncology surgical colleagues. Clinical information for subjects enrolled in our clinical protocols is entered into a password-protected web-based tracking system, which follows the recommendations of the National Research Council. A review mechanism is in place for prioritization of distribution of requested resources to investigators within and external to this Ovarian Cancer SPORE.