# Core 1: Biospecimen and Pathology Core

> **NIH NIH P50** · UNIVERSITY OF TX MD ANDERSON CAN CTR · 2020 · $280,942

## Abstract

CORE 1 BIOSPECIMEN AND PATHOLOGY: Summary/Abstract
The Biospecimen and Pathology Core will coordinate efforts related to collection, processing, storage and
distribution of annotated human and murine biospecimens for all of the SPORE projects, including the Career
Enhancement Program (CEP) and Developmental Research Program (DRP). The Core will be co-led by two
nationally reputed gastrointestinal/pancreatic pathologists, Drs. Dipen Maru and Huamin Wang. For human
biospecimens, the core will interface with the MDACC Institutional Tissue Bank (ITB). Biospecimen resources
from the lower gastrointestinal tissue bank include freshly collected/snap frozen and formalin fixed paraffin
embedded tumor and normal specimens from more than 2500 resected hepatic colorectal metastases (including
TMAs), freshly collected and snap frozen adenoma from 334 patients and formalin fixed paraffin embedded
specimens from 870 or more patients with sporadic adenoma or familial adenomatous polyposis. Existing
biospecimen resources available in the pancreatic bank and related IRB approved protocols include freshly
collected/snap frozen tumor and normal tissue sample from Whipple resection for pancreatic ductal
adenocarcinoma from 232 patients, with formalin fixed paraffin embedded specimens and additional 672
patients, including tissue microarrays from pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and intraductal pancreatic
mucinous neoplasms. The Core will support Project 1 by coordinating prospective blood collection,
cryopreservation and transport with the ITB. Specifically, Core faculty will prospectively collect, process and
distribute fresh tumor and normal samples from hepatic colorectal metastases after obtaining mirror image
section for histology quality control. The Core will provide formalin fixed paraffin embedded samples of normal,
adenoma and carcinoma to Project 2. In addition the Core will provide biospecimen qualification services,
including but not limited to, histopathologic characterization of human and murine tissues treated with STAT3
inhibitor, and immunohistochemistry staining and interpretation, including validation of p-STAT3 staining by
automated image analysis in a CLIA-certified facility. The Core will provide freshly resected PDAC samples for
patient derived xenografts and ex vivo live tissue sensitivity assay (LTSA) for Project 3. In addition, the Core will
provide histopathology characterization, immunohistochemistry services and interpretation guidelines for both
preclinical samples from the ongoing co-clinical trials, as well as serial tissue biopsies obtained from the two
clinical trials being conducted Project 3. The Core will also coordinate distribution of appropriate samples to
investigators funded through the SPORE CEP and DRP grants. The Core personnel, along with the ITB, will
enter detailed information related to all processes of biospecimen collection, processing, qualification, distribution
and analytes extraction into the Institutional Biosp...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9999482
- **Project number:** 5P50CA221707-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF TX MD ANDERSON CAN CTR
- **Principal Investigator:** Dipen M. Maru
- **Activity code:** P50 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $280,942
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-08-20 → 2024-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9999482

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9999482, Core 1: Biospecimen and Pathology Core (5P50CA221707-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9999482. Licensed CC0.

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