# Human Tissue Procurement and Processing Core

> **NIH NIH U19** · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS DALLAS · 2022 · $565,621

## Abstract

Work with human dorsal root ganglia (DRG) and spinal cords has been transformed by collaborative
efforts with organ transplant recovery agencies. Over the past years, we have developed an expansive
collaboration with organ transplant agencies enabling recovery of more than 60 sets of DRGs and spinal cords
from organ donors. This collaboration has led to several co-authored publications and the development of new
methods to recover additional nervous system tissues from surgical patients at hospitals involved in this project.
A key question in the pain field is whether human nociceptors change their molecular makeup when a patient
develops persistent or chronic pain. We will use the unique resources of this core to directly answer this question,
and generate datasets to answer new questions for the pain therapeutic discovery field. Our first aim will build
on our existing work with organ donors to create administrative and scientific protocols for tissue recovery. A key
milestone will be the recovery of DRG, spinal cord and peripheral nerves from 50 organ donors per year. In our
second aim we will expand our unique access to DRGs from pain patients that are recovered during relatively
rare surgeries. To facilitate more of this type of research throughout the country, and enhance access to these
valuable tissues, we will create IRB templates, hospital compliant standard operating procedures (SOPs) and
other key administrative and scientific methods to enable the proliferation of this type of research. Finally, in our
third aim we will leverage our deep experience with RNAscope technology to compare expression of a group of
markers that vary in cellular expression (low, mid, and high expression) to understand exactly how tissue
transcriptomes might change depending on donor timeline and other factors. This will allow the field to
understand how to make comparisons across study types. This core will create an expansive resource of tissue,
technical methods and administrative proficiency that will enable important discoveries for the field, and the
expansion of the use of human nervous system tissues for basic pain research far beyond the walls of the
collaborating laboratories in this Center.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10593660
- **Project number:** 1U19NS130608-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS DALLAS
- **Principal Investigator:** Stephanie Shiers
- **Activity code:** U19 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $565,621
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-09-19 → 2027-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10593660

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10593660, Human Tissue Procurement and Processing Core (1U19NS130608-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10593660. Licensed CC0.

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