Directors: Karen Kaul, MD, PhD and Ximing Yang, MD, PhD
Manager: Adekunle Raji

The Specimen Procurement Core of the SPORE in Prostate Cancer has been successfully procuring tissue samples, blood samples (serum, plasma, cells and blood spots), and urine samples from patients who consent to participate in the IRB approved SPORE sample procurement. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue is available on each case. As of May 2008, 2,500 patients have consented to participate in SPORE sample procurement at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Jesse Brown VA Medical Center and Evanston Northwestern Healthcare. The repository contains:

Frozen prostate tissue	7,351
Urine	1,455
Plasma	1,871
Mononuclear cells from blood	1,493
Isolated DNA	1,114
Prostatic fluid	311
Serum	3,400
Seminal vesicle fluid	208

All requests for specimens by SPORE and outside investigators must be approved by the SPORE Tissue Review and Disbursement Committee. In addition to the specimen repository, all of the patient clinical data including demographic information, clinical history, and laboratory test data are entered into a secure web based prostate SPORE database designed by the SPORE bioinformatics group. Tissue specific data is entered into a linked pathology database. The Specimen Procurement Core conducts quality control of tissue samples and database information yearly.

Services provided by Specimen Procurement Core:

• Immunohistochemical staining
• ELISA
• PCR based analysis
• Tissue microarray (TMA)
• Laser capture microscopy (LCM)

Procedure for Requesting Data or Specimens from the Northwestern University Prostate SPORE

For help and more information prior to making a request, contact:
Michelle Pattison, Program Administrator, Prostate SPORE
m-pattison@northwestern.edu

SPORE will notify investigator if the application can go to the Prostate SPORE Tissue/Data Disbursement Committee (PSTDDC).Please note: Data and/or specimens obtained for research cannot be used for patient care.

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