# Translational Pathology Core

> **NIH NIH P30** · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · 2023 · $570,525

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY – Translational Pathology Shared Resource
The mission of the Translational Pathology Core (TPC) of the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center
(NCCC) is to facilitate high-impact cancer research by providing high-quality human tissue procurement,
processing, and banking resources to NCCC investigators working on all aspects of cancer research. Continuing
as the Director of TPC since its inception in 1998, with oversight from NCCC Administration, Sue Ellen Martin
MD PhD ensures that services are provided in a timely and cost-effective manner and that TPC meets the needs
of NCCC members. TPC team members work with investigators in all NCCC Research Programs on the
planning, design, and feasibility of cancer research studies requiring human biospecimens and procure tissue
for NCCC clinical trials. A unique service offered by TPC is the acquisition of formalin-fixed, paraffin embedded
(FFPE) tissue from patients enrolled in population-based studies, including non-USC hospitals. In addition to
retrieving blocks from specific patients for population-based studies, TPC collects FFPE tissue blocks that are
donated by regional hospitals to TPC's Residual Tissue Repository (RTR) and linked to the NCI-funded Cancer
Surveillance Program (SEER registry) at USC/NCCC. The ethnic and racial diversity of the biospecimens
available to investigators fosters NCCC's mission to reduce cancer disparities. For example, TPC has ~1,800
and 2,800 annotated breast cancer tumor blocks from African Americans and Hispanics, respectively, and the
RTR includes over 60,000 multiethnic cancer patient specimens. New developments in the current period
include: 1) deployment of a centralized bioinformatics tool, OpenSpecimen; 2) enrollment for CAP/CLIA
certification; 3) launch of an automated investigator database queries for specimens to decrease turn-around
time; and 4) implementation of a universal consent process in collaboration with the NCCC Oncologic Research
Information Exchange Network (ORIEN) program. During the current grant period, 84 NCCC full members across
all five NCCC Programs utilized TPC resulting in 82 publications and $19.4M in direct cost grant funding related
to TPC usage. For example, TPC supports ORIEN at NCCC, providing annotated FFPE tumor tissue blocks
from over 2,471 consented adult patients for whole genome sequencing (WES) and RNA sequencing (RNASeq)
with matched whole blood samples for germline WES. TPC also provides essential pediatric tissues not
otherwise available to investigators, including fresh Wilms tumor, neuroblastoma, and sarcoma tissues as well
as over 5,000 leukemia samples. TPC is also critical for the NCI UM1 (National Clinical Trials Network) and UG1
(Experimental Therapeutics Clinical Trials Network) at NCCC. The anticipated annual budget of TPC in the first
year of the next grant cycle is $991,870 yet the CCSG request is $403,984. Accordingly, TPC leverages
extensive institutional and recharge support and seeks only 41%...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10620232
- **Project number:** 5P30CA014089-47
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
- **Principal Investigator:** William Dean Wallace
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $570,525
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1996-12-01 → 2026-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10620232

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10620232, Translational Pathology Core (5P30CA014089-47). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10620232. Licensed CC0.

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