# Pathology  Research Services Core

> **NIH NIH P30** · BECKMAN RESEARCH INSTITUTE/CITY OF HOPE · 2020 · $244,453

## Abstract

Pathology Research Services Core Shared Resource 
ABSTRACT 
Pathology studies at City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center (COHCCC) are supported by the Pathology 
Research Services Core (PRSC), which is composed of three distinct laboratories (Research Histology, 
Molecular Pathology, and Cytogenetics) and the COHCCC institutional biorepository. The overall goal of the 
PRSC is to provide COHCCC investigators with access to high quality, timely, and cost-effective pathology 
services that directly support both animal and human studies, and to provide access to ethically consented and 
procured human biorepository collections. The biorepository services include patient consenting to COH’s 
General Research Protocol, thus allowing the PRSC to procure residual solid tissue, additional bone marrow 
aspirate, and peripheral blood, as well as buccal cells and skin biopsies. With consent in place, biospecimens 
are ethically procured under the supervision of pathologists, processed, stored, and fully annotated following 
ISBER Best Practices and NCI Best Practices for Biospecimen Resources. The PRSC is preparing for College 
of American Pathologists (CAP) Biorepository Accreditation in late 2018. The PRSC also provides expert 
histopathology (solid and liquid tumors) and molecular and cytogenetics support for translational research by 
COHCCC investigators. The PRSC, including the institutional biorepository, is overseen by an Internal Advisory 
Board; the Director, Dennis Weisenburger, MD; and an operations Senior Manager, Karen Miller CLS, 
MT(ASCP). Oversight is provided by an interdisciplinary faculty Advisory Committee, and user feedback is 
obtained through an annual survey. The leaders of the laboratories sit on the Advisory Committee and are 
available for project design and technical consultation as needed. 
Since the last competing renewal, the PRSC, including the biorepository, was used by 183 unique investigators, 
63% (n=116) of whom were CC members and representing all five Programs. The PRSC distributed 794 fresh 
frozen tissue aliquots, 674 aliquots of serum/plasma/buffy coats, 738 vials of mononuclear cells/peripheral blood 
mononuclear cells (MNC/PBMCs) (2015-2016 data), and 45,675 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) 
sections from clinical and research tissue blocks. 
The biorepository frozen tissue collection has grown to 20,500 solid tissues (tumor and paired normal tissue 
when available); 28,360 vials of MNC/PBMCs from bone marrow, peripheral blood, or apheresis products; 
50,665 aliquots of serum; 41,620 aliquots of plasma; and 21,500 buffy coats from peripheral blood. The research- 
only FFPE tissue collection comprises approximately 12,000 blocks.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9849198
- **Project number:** 5P30CA033572-37
- **Recipient organization:** BECKMAN RESEARCH INSTITUTE/CITY OF HOPE
- **Principal Investigator:** Raju Pillai
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $244,453
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** — → —

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9849198

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9849198, Pathology  Research Services Core (5P30CA033572-37). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9849198. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*