# Core C:  Histopathology and Histomorphometry Core

> **NIH NIH P20** · MAINEHEALTH · 2021 · $169,007

## Abstract

The current Histopathology Core was established in 2004 within the COBRE in Stem and Progenitor
Cell Biology (8P20GM103465), with Dr. Volkhard Lindner as the Core Director. Services included
fixation, embedding, and processing of specimens for frozen and paraffin embedded sections and a
spectrum of routine and specialty histological stains and basic immunohistochemistry. Our staff has
expertise to develop and optimize immunohistochemistry procedures, including antigen retrieval,
optimization in archival tissues, and various detection methods. The success of this Core attracted
users from our sister COBRE in Vascular Biology, other investigators at Maine Medical Center, and
regional clients, including from neighboring IDeA states. Our services were in high demand, and led in
2011 to our COBRE in Vascular Biology (P30GM103392) co-funding the Histopathology Core to
increase research staff for expanded capacity, and add tissue microarray services. This co-funding
mechanism has been extremely effective, allowing for efficient expansion of services. The Core with its
current staff (Core Director and two full-time staff members) performs more than 40,000 procedures
annually, and in the past ten years has directly supported over ninety publications. Current usage is
again at capacity, and the new projects in this Phase I COBRE in Mesenchymal and Neural Regulation
of Metabolic Networks require extensive tissue processing and histopathology services, with new needs
for skeletal tissue processing and histomorphometry, which previously were not supported at our
Institute. Thus, as part of this COBRE application, we propose an expansion of the existing Core into
the Histopathology and Histomorphometry Core, with one additional staff member and new skeletal
histomorphometry services. Establishing histological techniques for mineralized tissues and bone
histomorphometry will meet the urgent demand for these services by our COBRE projects and other
researchers who currently utilize this Core. This in turn will increase the competitiveness of our
investigators by advancing scientific progress. This Core will fully utilize the existing equipment and
instrumentation garnered from previous COBRE support, as encouraged by NIGMS. Our strategic
expansion proposed in this application is non-overlapping with any current funding source. The
specific aims of this proposal are to: 1) meet growing need and support COBRE projects by
supporting a new full-time staff member, 2) establish new plastic embedding and sectioning to allow for
expanded analysis of calcified tissues, and 3) establish new bone histomorphometry services to
support the COBRE projects and other investigators requiring skeletal analysis.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10246814
- **Project number:** 5P20GM121301-05
- **Recipient organization:** MAINEHEALTH
- **Principal Investigator:** VOLKHARD LINDNER
- **Activity code:** P20 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $169,007
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-09-01 → 2023-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10246814

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10246814, Core C:  Histopathology and Histomorphometry Core (5P20GM121301-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10246814. Licensed CC0.

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