# Biospecimen Core

> **NIH NIH P20** · VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $160,387

## Abstract

BIOSPECIMEN-PATHOLOGY CORE: PROJECT SUMMARY
Most biospecimens in the US are collected from individuals of Northern European ancestry, limiting the
generalizability of findings. There is an urgent need to increase the availability of high-quality biospecimens from
ethnic and racial minorities for translational lung cancer disparities research. A significant goal of the
Translational Research Center in Lung Cancer Disparities (TRACER) Biospecimen/Pathology Core (BPC) is to
coordinate efforts related to collection, processing, storage, and distribution of annotated human biospecimens
for all participating sites and projects, including the a future pilot research projects supported by the
Developmental Research Program (DRP). The TRACER BPC team brings together experts with a shared
dedication to eradicating disparities, and this union will be formalized by institutional agreements and standard
operating procedures (SOPs). The TRACER BPC will provide translational disparities researchers access to an
expanded array of biospecimens, analytical techniques, and annotations with clinical data as well as social
determinants of health data. The BPC Lead and Co-Leads are established leaders in lung cancer pathology,
biorepositories, cancer informatics, geospatial analysis, behavioral health and cancer biologists offering
molecular analysis techniques – all committed to disparities and translational research. TRACER BPC
specimens will be jointly housed at the Massey Cancer Center at Virginia Commonwealth University VCU), the
Hollings Cancer Center at the Medical University South Carolina (MUSC) and the City of Hope Comprehensive
Cancer Center. VCU will be the central IRB, andcommon SOPs, data elements, and platforms will be established.
VCU will compile and integrate data, and data will be uploaded to the Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL; NASA) server.
JPL houses and integrates the Early Detection Research Network (EDRN) data. Housing TRACER data with
JPL will facilitate future TRACER-EDRN collaborations. Aim 1 will provide a portal through which TRACER
collaborative investigators can acquire through uniform SOP’s the human tissues, fluids, and blood samples for
research projects of this P20 with high rigor and reproducibility. Aim 2 will collect and annotate specimens
including demographic data, clinical data, histopathologic results, molecular annotation and social determinants
of health data. Working with the TRACER Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Core, TRACER investigators will have
access to a fully integrated centralized information source. Aim 3 will expand TRACER investigators’ access to
cutting-edge technology and artificial intelligence analytics through a partnership with the National Cancer
Institute’s Early Detection Research Network (EDRN).

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10493296
- **Project number:** 5P20CA252717-02
- **Recipient organization:** VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Charles V Clevenger
- **Activity code:** P20 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $160,387
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-09-20 → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10493296

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10493296, Biospecimen Core (5P20CA252717-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-14 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10493296. Licensed CC0.

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