PROJECT SUMMARY (See instructions): Tissue Procurement Core Ready access to both benign and malignant tissue is a valuable resource for cancer investigators. The Tissue Procurement Core is designed to collect and store high quality tissue specimens from a variety of sources and make these available to HCCC investigators based on the science proposed. The Core insures that these activities are performed in compliance with all rules and regulations covering such activity. The Core and its personnel work in cooperation with clinicians from various departments to: 1) Identify and consent patients from whom collection may be appropriate. 2) Work closely with appropriate individuals in the Surgical Pathology Laboratory to insure adequate patient care while maximizing the number of collected specimens 3) Enter information about specimens into a secure data base and store appropriately 4) Implement rigorous quality control procedures 5) Distribute available tissue to investigators for high quality cancer research The HCCC and University of lowa CTSA are collaborating to further strengthen access to biospecimens. The Tissue Procurement Core has implemented CaTISSUE to enhance the informatics infrastructure for Tissue Procurement, and is working to develop an approach to obtaining consent at the time of registration to the medical center, and link tissues with deidentified clinical data, that will further enhance the utility of tissue for HCCC investigators.

RELEVANCE (See instructions): The availability of human cancer and normal tissue is vital for basic and translational cancer research. The Tissue Procurement Core provides a centralized, efficient approach to providing this invaluable resource.