These samples are for research purposes only and may not be used for clinical diagnosis or implantation into humans. Clinical information relating to the samples and donors are collected and maintained in a secure database. Samples and data are de-identified or de-linked before release to the researcher unless he/she has specific IRB approval to gain access to this information.

Remnant biospecimens are prospectively collected from surgical procedures, autopsies and clinical laboratories for the BTPC by the Human Tissue Procurement Facility (HTPF), which operates under UH-IRB Protocol 01-02-45. Blood and bone marrow specimens are collected for the BTPC by the Hematopoietic Stem Cell Core Facility (HSCC), which operates under UH-IRB Protocol 09-90-195.

The Division of Surgical Pathology at University Hospitals Case Medical Center (UHCMC) has clinical archives of paraffin blocks that can be made available through the BTPC for retrospective research studies under the approval of the Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs at UHCMC. Surgical Pathologists associated with the BTPC are responsible for determining which blocks can be made available and how much material can be removed from the blocks.

Types of Tissue Available

• Malignant, benign, diseased, normal and normal human tissues
• Normal adjacent tissues available paired with tumor specimens in many cases
• Tissues are collected from over 50 anatomic sites
• Frozen specimens, OCT-embedded and paraffin-embedded tissues
• Large array of paraffin-embedded specimens from clinical archives of paraffin blocks and QC research blocks maintained by the HTPF
• Peripheral blood and bone marrow samples from initial visits and follow-up procedures are processed to obtain serum and cell fractions for storage
• No samples are collected from individuals with known infectious illnesses
• Fetal biospecimens are not collected due to state and local statutes collected due to state and local statutes