# Core B: Biospecimen and Pathology Resources Core > **NIH NIH P50** · UT SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER · 2020 · $382,411 ## Abstract Project Summary The aims of the Biospecimen and Pathology Resources (BPR) Core (Core B) are to facilitate the storage and distribution of comprehensively annotated, high-quality biospecimens and their derivatives, and to provide professional and technical pathology services to the principal investigators and collaborators of our SPORE and Kidney Cancer Program. All four SPORE projects utilize Core B, which is critical to achieving their aims. It is an indispensable component of our SPORE and leverages and expands (without duplicating) existing pathology resources in our National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Simmons Cancer Center and Children’s Medical Center. We deliver basic histology, immunohistochemistry (IHC), in situ hybridization (ISH), tissue microarrays, whole slide imaging, image analysis, and laser-capture microdissection services and make available unique cancer tissue-derivatives such as primary cancer cell cultures and cell lines, cryopreserved tissues, DNA, RNA and patient-derived xenografts (PDX or tumorgrafts). This Core provides expertise in histomorphologic evaluation of human kidney tumors, human tumorgrafts in mice, kidney tumors in transgenic and knockout animal models, and in the interpretation of IHC and ISH assays. The BPR Core develops IHC and molecular assays and has experience in the deployment of CLIA-certified laboratory tests, such as our BAP1 IHC test – a popular assay developed by Dr. Kapur (Director, Core B) at UTSW and applied to >3000 samples from >10 institutions. The BPR Core currently has: >640 fresh frozen and >3000 paraffin-embedded tissues from renal tumors, respectively; a unique live-tissue repository of >600 kidney tumor tissues viably preserved in DMSO that are amenable to mechanistic studies to address questions arising from genomic and other studies of inert tissues; 90 independent orthotopically-passaged tumorgraft lines, including lines from rare tumors (such as Hereditary Leiomyomatosis and RCC); >75 primary tumor cell lines representing a wide variety of banked tumors; and integrated genomic analyses (exome sequencing, RNA-Seq, and SNP data) from >300 tumors. The BPR Core provides routine quality controls for SPORE investigators to ensure that the tissues are optimal, and several of our protocols have been published in Nature Protocols and serve as benchmarks in the fields of tissue processing for integrated genomic analyses and tumorgraft utilization for preclinical drug testing. Our repository has had significant utilization, with >1000 samples having been shipped to collaborators both internally, as well as externally. Tumorgrafts have been extensively utilized to evaluate RCC drug sensitivity, study radiation responsiveness, explore tumor biomarkers, understand cancer biology (including tumor-induced cachexia and paraneoplastic syndromes), and dissect metabolic derangements in RCC. Studies with these tissues have been published in high-impact journals such as ... ## Key facts - **NIH application ID:** 9990722 - **Project number:** 5P50CA196516-05 - **Recipient organization:** UT SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER - **Principal Investigator:** Payal Kapur - **Activity code:** P50 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.) - **Funding institute:** NIH - **Fiscal year:** 2020 - **Award amount:** $382,411 - **Award type:** 5 - **Project period:** 2016-08-01 → 2022-07-31 ## Primary source NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9990722 ## Citation > US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9990722, Core B: Biospecimen and Pathology Resources Core (5P50CA196516-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9990722. Licensed CC0. --- *[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*