The HTRC provides storage of human tissue, whole blood, and other body fluids.
Specimens can be stored under a number of conditions and are electronically monitored 24/7.

Banking Tissue

• You must have an approved IRB protocol.
• Investigators must fill out a Service Application. This form can be found on the Forms page.
• A Tissue Bank meeting is required before the initial collection of tissue.
• All linked protocols must have patient consent entered into LabVantage prior to the day of surgery. LabVantage training provided by the HTRC.

Obtaining Tissue Samples

• You must have an IRB approval letter or exemption letter. Control tissue does not apply.
  • Investigators with consented protocols should use LabVantage to request samples.  If you are requesting cancer specimens, then you are required to submit and receive approval from the University of Chicago Comprehensive Cancer Center (UCCCC) Biospecimen Committee (UCCCC Biospecimen Request) PRIOR to submitting the withdrawal request in LabVantage.
  • Nonconsented protocols and individuals without LabVantage access should contact HTRC staff with their sample requirements.
• Path reports are provided with tissue samples.
• Fees for data abstraction may apply, please inquire.

Processing Body Fluid

• You must have an approved IRB protocol.
• Investigators must fill out a Service Application. This form can be found on the Forms page.
• A Tissue Bank meeting is required before any samples can be processed.
• All protocols must have patient consent entered into LabVantage prior to the day of surgery. LabVantage training provided by the HTRC.
• Kits should be provided prior to collection date. PBS can be provided by the HTRC. Additional reagents must be provided by investigators.
• All samples should be sent to Tube Station 461 with a collection form, and should arrive no later than 4:00pm for bone marrow and 4:30pm for other body fluids. The collection form can be found on the Forms page.
• Notify the HTRC staff at tissuebank@bsd.uchicago.edu at least 24 hours prior to collection.

Distribution

Any tissue collected during a diagnostic procedure must be retained for a 2 week embargo period before release to an investigator.

Any grievance regarding the distribution of biospecimens from the HTRC will be handled by the Biospecimen Collection and Allocation Group. Please see the Institutional Policy Regarding Biospecimen Allocation and Collection for details.

Data Abstraction

Detailed search for subjects and biobank samples and/or archival tissue that match specific criteria (anatomic site, diagnosis, treatment, etc.) specified by researcher.

IRB approval or exemption is required for retrospective analysis.

Contact TissueBank@bsd.uchicago.edu to inquire.

All requests must be submitted with the proper request form (human or non-human) and all appropriate information filled out.
These forms can be found on the Forms page. Investigators will be notified by email or phone when their request is complete.

Consultation with an HTRC staff member is recommended for inexperienced histology users.

Processing and Embedding

• Tissue should be fixed (24-48 hours depending on the size of the tissue) and then transported to the HTRC in 70% ethanol. No formalin should enter the HTRC lab.
• Please note that processing occurs Monday – Thursday evenings only. Samples need to be submitted no later than 4pm to be processed that evening. Any tissue that needs to be processed and embedded after 4pm Thursday will need to be brought back to us on the following Monday. When submitting a request, all investigators must provide appropriate materials.
• Materials (cassettes, sponges, specials slides, tubes, slide boxes, etc.) are not provided by the HTRC; no exceptions. If slides are requested and slide boxes are not provided by the investigator at the time of pick up, then there will be an automatic charge per box.  Refer to HTRC’s Fee Schedule for pricing.
• Special processing runs should be scheduled with an HTRC histology technician 24 hours in advance.

Sectioning

• Offered for formalin-fixed paraffin embedded tissue and frozen OCT tissue (Note: Frozen tissue should be embedded in OCT by investigator prior to submission).
• Investigators may opt to cut frozen sections themselves using an HTRC cryostat. Please see the Training & Manuals page for details.

Staining

• The HTRC provides H&E and IHC staining for formalin-fixed paraffin embedded and frozen slides.
• PAS, trichrome, and other special stains/sectioning is available upon request.
• IHC consultation is available upon request. Please contact Terri Li.

Materials

When submitting a request, all investigators must provide appropriate materials (e.g. cassettes, sponges, special slides, tubes, slide boxes, etc).
These materials will NOT be provided by the HTRC with no exceptions. If slides are requested and slide boxes are not provided by the investigator at the time of pick up, then there will be an automatic charge per slide box.  Please refer to HTRC’s Fee Schedule for pricing.

Slide Pick-Up

You will be notified via email when you project is ready for pick-up.  When you pick up your project, please verify that you are receiving all materials PRIOR to signing the request form. This ensures that nothing is missed.  After signing the form, PLEASE LEAVE THE FORM WITH US.  Do not take the request form with you.  We may provide a copy of the form upon request.

For all histology questions, please contact Terri Li, 773-702-2905 or 773-834-8394. Or you can notify the HTRC histology group by e-mailing histology@bsd.uchicago.edu.

High-throughput genome screening technologies, such as microarrays, have made it possible to survey thousands of genes at a time from tissues and cells. The translation of such information to improve diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic applications requires extensive validation.

Tissue microarrays (TMAs) provide a means for rapid, large-scale analysis of several hundred tissue specimens. Tissue array blocks can be fabricated to contain up to 300 individual representative archival blocks. The cores in the tissue array have a diameter of 1.0mm. The automated tissue arrayer in the HTRC is a Beecher Instrument ATA-27. This system has a capacity to punch 120-180 cores/hour, allowing the rapid assembly of high density TMAs.

The technology of TMA involves harvesting small cores of tissue from individual donor paraffin embedded blocks and placing them in a recipient block with defined array coordinates. A morphologically representative area of interest with the donor block is identified under the microscope using a stained H&E section on a glass slide as a guide. The spot for punching is marked on the glass slide with a marker and is overlaid on the matching block on the computer screen for punching. The spot is chosen on the TMA grid and the layout is in an excel format for reference. Control tissue is commonly used as an orientation marker.

The figure below demonstrates an example of a custom tissue microarray that was fabricated at this facility.

Custom human tissue microarray, fabricated in the UC Tissue Microarray Facility. The block (left) with 264 tissue cores, a portion of a TMA section after immunohistochemical staining using c-Met antibody (center), and an enlarged image of a single tumor tissue core with strong positive cytoplasmic and membranous staining (right).

Click here to view Fee Schedule.
For all tissue microarray inquiries, please contact Terri Li, 773-702-9051.

Aperio AT2 Slide Scanner

• Creating digital images of histology slides provides investigators publication quality images. It also affords investigators with images that can be used to perform image analysis.
• The Aperio AT2 is an automated high throughput system that can scan up to 400 slides at a time at 20x or 40x.
  • ImageScope is FREE downloadable viewing software used to visualize slides scanned by the AT2 or other systems used to create slide images*.
• If you would like slides scanned using the Aperio AT2 slide scanner, please fill out the HTRC Digital Pathology Slide Scanning Request Form.
• Drop-off and pick-up slides for scanning at Billings P-524. Slides must be picked up within 30 days of notification. You will be billed for slide storage beyond the 30 days.
• Slides will be scanned by a HTRC staff member.  All slides will be scanned in the order they are received.
• Quality of scanning is dependent upon the condition of the slide(s). Please have slides cleaned prior to dropping off as dirty slides will lead to poor image quality. Excess mounting medium, cracks, or debris may interfere with or even prohibit successful scanning. Slides must be fully dry before submission.
• If you would like to use the Aperio Analysis Software for quantitative analysis, you must complete training with the HTRC prior to use of the software. See the Training & Manuals page for details.

Olympus Camera

• The HTRC houses a DP72, 12.8 MP Olympus digital camera used for capturing digital images of histology slides.
  • cellSens Standard is the software used for basic image acquisition, processing, and measurements.
• This device is for capturing images ONLY.
• Training is required for use of this instrument. See the Training & Manuals page for details.

Olympus Whole Mount Slide Scanner

• The Olympus BX61VS is a fully motorized, upright light microscope developed with the use of innovative optical and imaging technologies. This unit services individual 50x75mm and 90x120mm sized slides, providing investigators with impressive 2x, 4x, 10x, 20x, or 40x virtual slide images.
• OlyVIA is a FREE downloadable viewing software that we recommend in order for investigators to view, manage, and analyze these specific scans.
• Training is required for use of this instrument. See the Training & Manuals page for details.

The heterogeneity of histological and biological specimens often requires isolation of specific single cells or cell groups from surrounding tissue before analysis can be carried out. Laser capture microdissection, LCM, (or laser microdissection, LMD) is a selective technique that uses a focused laser beam for precise isolation of individual cells or cell populations for the analysis of DNA, RNA and proteins.

Leica LMD 6500

The Leica LMD uses an upright microscope and a UV pulsating laser to dissect individual cells or cell populations with no risk of contamination. The dissected cells fall into the PCR cap via the force of gravity alone. Tissue samples can be embedded, sectioned and stained according to conventional methods of preparation.

• Paraffin sections, frozen sections, smear preparations are available for usage of the LMD 6500.
• Investigators must provide their own materials. This includes but is not limited to the following: slides, PCR tubes, lysis buffer, isolation kit, etc.
• The HTRC hosts a shared instrument for investigator use only and does NOT perform LCM as a service. Investigators should have a designated technician to learn and perform LCM for his/her own research.
• Training and technical support by HTRC staff is provided for investigators on the Leica LMD 6500. See Training & Manuals page for details.

Click here to view Fee Schedule.

For all laser capture microdissection inquiries, please contact digitalpathology@bsd.uchicago.edu.