Human Tissue Resource Network (HTRN): The Human Tissue Resource Network (HTRN) collects, banks, and distributes human tissue and fluid specimens for basic and translational research for Ohio State University Medical Center researchers and associated clinical research programs throughout the United States. The HTRN consist of a prospective Tissue Procurement Service (TPS), Tissue Archive Service (TAS) of diagnostic specimens, the Cancer and Leukemia Group B Pathology Coordinating Office (CALGB - PCO), the Pathology Core Facility (PCF), the AIDS and Cancer Specimen Resource (ACSR), and an Adenoma Polyp Tissue Bank (APC). The HTRN services are funded by federal, corporate, and department research programs. Space support is provided by the OSU Comprehensive Cancer Center. The HTRN website where more information about each service can be reviewed is located at http://www.pathology.osu.edu/htrn/default.htm . The HTRN moved most of its operations to a new location at the OSU Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Innovation Centre, 2001 Polaris Parkway, Columbus, Ohio 43240. This move took 6 months and is in its final completion stages as of December of 2006. The new location brings the HTRN under one central location with approximately 8,200 square feet of space that consists of office (2,000 sq.ft.), laboratory space (4,400 sq.ft.) and a Biorepository (1,800 sq.ft.). Tissue Procurement Service: The TPS is comprised of the Midwestern Division of the Cooperative Human Tissue Network (CHTN) and the Tissue Procurement Shared Resource (TPSR) of the OSU Comprehensive Cancer Center. These two grants are funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The TPSR began in 1975 and the CHTN was awarded in 1987. The TPS procures and provides benign, normal, malignant, and diseased tissues to research investigators. The CHTN is a group of six academic institutions funded by NCI in a cooperative process to provide remnant human tissue to researchers throughout the United States and Canada. Tissues are collected prospectively, as per the investigator's protocol, and can be provided to the researcher fresh, frozen, paraffin blocks or as slides. The Midwestern Division of the CHTN also receives tissues from two supported satellite centers, Case Western Reserve and the Cleveland Clinic. Requests for tissues for research by CHTN/TPSR investigator continues to grow with 9,549 specimens distributed during this annual reporting period, of which 836 were requested by OSU investigators. Tissue Archive Service: The Tissue Archive Services (TAS) was established within the Department of Pathology at OSU Medical Center in June 1998 to serve as the custodian of diagnostic archival formalin-fixed paraffin embedded tissues and hematoxylin and eosin stained slides. Since its creation, specimens have been organized and policies have been instituted for the use of archival paraffin embedded tissues primarily by OSU investigators in collaboration with OSU pathologists. Institutional Review Board (IRB) approved applications are required. TAS requires that material not be misused or depleted and that specimens are handled according to department policy which are consistent with the OSU Office of Responsible Research Practices (ORRP). The TAS pulled for review more than 164,144 blocks and slides during this period. The TAS will also be implementing new software database and application, as well as paper application and requests documents to assist in tracking this very large inventory and resource. Cancer and Leukemia Group B - Pathology Coordinating Office: The Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB) is a national cooperative cancer clinical trials group supported by the NCI. More than 250 academic medical centers, hospitals and physician practices enroll patients on CALGB clinical trials in breast cancer, GI cancer, GU cancer, lung cancer, melanoma, leukemia and lymphoma. For many years, a major goal of CALGB studies has been to understand the biological factors that determine the prognosis or predict response to therapy of various tumor types. The CALGB has developed tissue repositories located at The Ohio State University that collect viable leukemia cells, as well as, formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded solid tumor specimens for use by the investigator community.* The Pathology Coordinating Office (PCO) for the Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB) is a repository for formalin-fixed, paraffin embedded tissue and fluid specimens obtained from patients enrolled on CALGB solid tumor protocols. The PCO can also be reached by email at path.calgb@osumc.edu or via the CALGB website, www.calgb.org. The PCO receives, processes, stores and distributes paraffin blocks and slides, peripheral blood, plasma, serum and urine from the CALGB main member and at - large member institutions and their affiliated hospitals, as well as from other cooperative groups. Paraffin blocks are catalogued and either processed immediately for microtomy or Tissue Microarray (TMA). Paraffin blocks are stored and vacuum packed at 4°C until needed. Tissue sections that are cut from the paraffin blocks are placed on microscope slides and vacuum packed until they are shipped to an investigator. The following table demonstrates the activity of the CALGB-PCO as it continues to provide a significant resource to the cancer community. Pathology Core Facility: Dr. Weiqiang (John) Zhao joined the Pathology Core Facility (PCF) early 2007 as Co-Director of the PCF for Clinical applications. He joined OSU Pathology after completing a fellowship in molecular pathology at MD Anderson. Existing assays for clinical use include T-cell receptor (TCR) beta and Immunoglobulin Heavy Chain (IGH) segment V-D-J gene rearrangement assays to identify clonal T and B-cells, Her-2-Neu, and several immunohistochemistry and in-situ hybridization assays. Dr. Zhao is rapidly developing new molecular assays for diagnostic use as well engaging with OSUMC faculty to develop new markers for research. The PCF also provides histology based research services for The Ohio State University's Department of Pathology, College of Medicine and to investigators campus wide. The PCF is staffed by seasoned research associates, each providing a wide range of expertise in histotechnology and molecular techniques on tissue specimens. The services provided by the PCF include routine histology, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, cryotomy, in situ hybridization, and tissue microarray. During this annual period the PCF has processed 19,327 paraffin blocks, sectioned 48,686 tissue slides, performed 831 special stains, 9,833 immunohistochemistry tests, 796 immunofluorescence and FISH tests, 781 clonality tests, more than 8,614 HPV tests and histology for more than 12,000 county coroners cases for Franklin and Licking Counties. AIDS and Cancer Specimen Resource: The AIDS and Cancer Specimen Resource (ACSR) is a tissue and biological fluids bank of HIV-related specimens. The National Cancer Institute established the AIDS and Cancer Specimen Resource to encourage and facilitate research in HIV-related malignancies. Malignant and other tissues from HIV infected patients are needed more than ever to provide opportunities for critical translational research focusing on the pathogenesis of AIDS related malignancies and other human tissue for study. Scientists now have the ability to ask and answer more questions than during the early phase of the AIDS epidemic. The ACSR is a resource of HIV-infected tissues and other specimens for use by qualified investigators to facilitate their research. The ACSR also provides qualified researchers with tissue, cell, blood and fluid specimens, as well as clinical data from patients with HIV-related malignancies and other HIV diseases. Adenoma Polyp Tissue Bank: The Adenoma Polyp Tissue Bank (APTB) receives whole blood from patients enrolled in the Prevention of Sporadic Colorectal Adenomas with Celecoxib clinical trial. We have reached our accrual on blood submissions, so we will no longer be receiving blood specimens. The objectives of this trial were to determine the efficacy and safety of Celecoxib versus placebo in preventing the occurrence of newly detected colorectal adenomas in subjects at increased risk for colorectal carcinoma, to determine the efficacy of Celecoxib versus placebo in modulating one or more of a panel of biomarkers for colorectal cancer at the cellular and molecular level, to develop a specimen bank. Serum and white blood cells are isolated from whole blood and adenoma tissue blocks and slides are banked. Correlative science studies are being planned. HTRN Special Services: Developing resources for research allows the HTRN to provide a high level of service. Two of those areas are issue microarrays and digital microscopy. Virtual Microscopy - The Virtual Microscopy Core under the division of the Human Tissue Resource Network (HTRN) of the OSU Department of Pathology uses digital imaging for quality assurance of tissue specimens submitted for clinical translational research of the Cancer and Leukemia Group B and for basic research for the Department of Biomedical Informatics. CALGB Pathologists render a quality assurance decision and annotate images for tissue microarray core locations. The annotated images are saved on the HTRN server where they can be accessed remotely by a technologist for TMA construction. The Department of Pathology also uses this service for clinical training in pathology and tumor board review of clinical cases in gynecology with plans to expand its use for other disease groups. The HTRN has upgraded the Aperio ScanScope® T2 to the Aperio XT which uses Aperio scanning software for image acquisition at several resolutions including 5x, 20x, and 40x using the 120 autoloader capabilities that can scan in batches up to 120 slides, each slide taking an average of five (20X) to twenty minutes (40X) to complete depending on tissue size. Images are saved to a local virtual microscopy server with 1.5 terabytes of storage in a RAID array which provides expandable storage. This server provides an accessible link to CALGB pathologists through the Internet. Pathologists are able to view and annotate images from their remote location using standard computer equipment and the ImageScope viewer software; annotation overlays are stored on the OSU virtual microscopy server. Images are also mirrored to a second server as a local backup. Additionally, the images are saved to the Ohio Super Computing servers as an off-location backup using secure FTP, which provides 50 terabytes of writable space. The image files can be provided in a number of media services and can be viewed from any computer using Aperio's ImageScope® viewing and annotation software. The HTRN was the first group in central Ohio to purchase the Aperio ScanScope® system, of which now three systems are operating, including the Nationwide Children's Hospital Biopathology Center and the OSU Veterinary Pathology. These three groups have agreed to begin meeting to form a user group and expand on opportunities to work together. Through this past year more than 6,607 slides have been scanned using the virtual microscopy system.