# Biospecimen Repository Core

> **NIH NIH P50** · SLOAN-KETTERING INST CAN RESEARCH · 2020 · $201,847

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
The Biospecimen Repository Core is designed to provide support to the basic translational research efforts of
the SPORE in Bladder Cancer. The Core will play a central role in collecting, annotating, storing, distributing,
and tracking urothelial cancer biospecimens (tissue, urine, and blood) from patients enrolled in biospecimen
banking and therapeutic research protocols. Detailed biospecimen annotation, including documentation of pre-
analytic processing variables, pathology findings, and patient clinical history information will be recorded in
robust relational databases. We will conduct rigorous data quality assurance and quality control measures, and
standardized longitudinal follow-up of all consented patients with materials in the urothelial cancer biospecimen
repository. The Core will also provide SPORE investigators with expert histopathological evaluation of tumor
samples both from patients enrolled on research protocols and from xenograft models. The Core will also
provide assistance in performing and interpreting immunohistochemical and in situ hybridization assays, in
selecting tissue for microdissection and construction of arrays. Given the significant morphologic heterogeneity
of bladder cancers, these services require expertise beyond what MSK Pathology Core can provide,
underscoring the importance of the role and input of the Core Directors. The specific aims of the core are:
Specific Aim 1. To maintain and expand a model urothelial cancer resource designed to collect, annotate,
store, process, and distribute biospecimens for translational urothelial cancer research.
Specific Aim 2. To perform systematic pathologic evaluation of all human and animal biospecimens and
preparation of appropriate biospecimens for use by SPORE investigators.
Each of the research projects relies extensively on the Biospecimen Repository Core to achieve their
translational research objectives. For RP-1, the core will aid with the prospective molecular characterization of
urothelial cancers for mutations in DNA damage response genes and will assist with the preparation of tumor
samples for whole-exome sequencing to identify novel biomarkers of cisplatin-sensitivity and with blood and
urine samples for cell-free DNA analysis. For RP-2, the core will provide blood samples and matched tumor for
next-generation sequencing analyses to identify genes, which when mutated are associated with increased
inherited risk for urothelial cancer. For RP-3, the core will provide blood and tissue samples for multi-platform
analyses (PD-L1 immunohistochemistry, T-cell clonality, tumor mutational load, whole exome sequencing
(WES), RNAseq, TCRseq, immunoSEQ and MDSC quantitation) with the goal of identifying predictive
biomarkers of response to immune checkpoint blockade. For RP-4, the Biospecimen Repository Core will
assist in the characterization of xenograft models used to study novel strains of bacillus Calmette-Guérin
(BCG) and with the analysi...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9979809
- **Project number:** 5P50CA221745-03
- **Recipient organization:** SLOAN-KETTERING INST CAN RESEARCH
- **Principal Investigator:** Hikmat Al-Ahmadie
- **Activity code:** P50 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $201,847
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-08-24 → 2023-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9979809

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9979809, Biospecimen Repository Core (5P50CA221745-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9979809. Licensed CC0.

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