# Core C: Tissue Procurement and Pathology

> **NIH NIH P50** · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · 2021 · $122,986

## Abstract

Abstract 
The UNC Breast Cancer SPORE Tissue Procurement & Pathology Core (TPP) Facility is a multifunctional 
facility, comprised of multiple components including Tissue Procurement and Translational Pathology. This 
Core provides centralized, quality controlled, quality assured procurement, processing, analysis, storage and 
distribution of normal and malignant breast tissue, blood specimens and other human specimens in support of 
basic science, translational, genomic, population and clinical trial cancer research. In addition to tissue and 
blood procurement services, the facility performs extraction of high quality DNA from whole blood, peripheral 
blood mononuclear cells, buccal smears and mouth rinses and immortalization of breast cancer patient 
lymphocytes. Importantly this group provides functional access to many other scientific and administrative 
groups such as Immunogenetics and Analysis and the Office of Clinical Translational Research. The 
Lineberger Data Warehouse (Core B), an Oracle-based, customized user-friendly database, operating on an 
honest broker model to protect identity and confidentiality, provides the infrastructure to monitor and survey 
each specimen and associated information. This provides a coordinated system of quality control, sample 
tracking and distribution of specimens to appropriate investigators. 
Breast cancer-specific efforts that have and will support SPORE aims include centralized tissue and specimen 
banking, receipt and processing of breast-related human specimens including: freshly procured, snap-frozen 
and formalin fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) block specimens, preparation of tissue microarrays (TMAs), cell 
microarrays, morphological evaluation and morphology-based assays (immunohistochemistry, 
immunofluorescence, in-situ hybridization, and fluorescence in-situ hybridization), assay development & 
training, and digital imaging and image analysis for spatial quantification of molecular analytes in intact 
specimens. Project # 1, CBCS, has used the core for over two decades. Projects #2, #3, and #4 will 
specifically use the cores for samples from clinical trials (Projects #3 and #4) and to obtain fresh tissue to flow 
sort cells for assays (Project #2) and to prepare primary cultured cells from individual patients (Projects #2 and 
#4).

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10244928
- **Project number:** 5P50CA058223-27
- **Recipient organization:** UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL
- **Principal Investigator:** BENJAMIN CARLISLE CALHOUN
- **Activity code:** P50 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $122,986
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1997-08-05 → 2023-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10244928

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10244928, Core C: Tissue Procurement and Pathology (5P50CA058223-27). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10244928. Licensed CC0.

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