Tissue

The Tissue Core (TC) is the central biorepository for Moffitt Cancer Center. The overall goal of the TC is to collect, process, store, and release high-quality, well-annotated biospecimens in support of research.  

To accomplish its goal, the TC’s Specific Aims are to: 

Aim 1: Serve as the centralized MCC biobanking resource for the collection, processing, and storage of human biospecimens in support of member science.

Aim 2: Implement biorepository best practices and quality metrics that ensure members’ access to high-quality biospecimens.

Aim 3: Develop and promote policies, guidelines, and procedures that facilitate members’ efficient access to human biospecimens in a regulatory-compliant manner.

Tissue Core services are housed within three distinct sections: 

• Intake & Acquisition: Collection, initial annotation, and de-identification of biospecimens for investigator-driven and general banking protocols.
• Sample Processing Lab: Biospecimen processing services ranging from processing of blood to extraction of nucleic acids.
• Research Histology Services: Basic histology services, research-focused immunohistochemistry, and construction of tissue microarrays.

Overall, the TC offers 81 distinct biobanking and biospecimen-related services that meet or exceed NCI best practice recommendations and College of American Pathologists (CAP) Biorepository Accreditation standards to ensure high-quality biospecimen collection and processing validated through standardization, documentation, and emphasis on quality management.

CONTACTS

Co-Scientific Directors:
Conor Lynch, PhD
Kenneth Tsai, MD, PhD

Administrators:
Director - Edward Seijo
Manager -  Michelle Fournier

Intake and Acquisition:
Staff Scientist - Kristin Morrow
Specialists:
Taylor Ascone
Joanna Burr
Julia Ida
Amanda Meshey
Jasmyn Pryce
Nathan Smith

Research Histology:
Staff Scientist - Jeanette Rheinhardt
Pathologist - Alex Lopez, MD
Specialists:
Noel Clark
Lidia Espinosa
Zena Sayegh

Sample Processing:
Staff Scientist - Marek Wloch
Specialists:
Dongqing Chen
Herman Hernandez
Yibo Li 
Joshua Santos
Celia Sigua
Nan Sun

Total Cancer Care Lab:
Pathologist - Stephen Brantley
Specialists:
Adys Fernandez
Karen Wolding

This work has been supported in part by the Tissue Core at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, a comprehensive cancer center designated by the National Cancer Institute and funded in part by Moffitt’s Cancer Center Support Grant (P30-CA076292)