Tissue Procurement Services (TPS)
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OSUCCC Tissue Procurement Services (back to top)
Investigators who require pathology samples that have not been previously banked (e.g., fresh human tissue and fluids) and who have a specific IRB-approved protocol can request specimens from the Tissue Procurement Service embedded in the Department of Pathology. This service is part of the OSUCCC Biospecimen Services Shared Resource. Per OSUWMC hospital policies, all human tissue samples taken for research at OSUWMC hospitals must be coordinated through TPS. Investigators complete a data/biospecimen request form and an investigator agreement. Specimens are processed per protocol and provided to the research team within the prescribed time window.
The Tissue Procurement Service (TPS) laboratory is housed in the Surgical Pathology Lab located on the 5th floor of the James Cancer Hospital and provides both prospective procurement for OSUCCC investigators as well as samples for biospecimen banks such as the BSSR Biorepository and the Total Cancer Care (TCC) program. TPS has direct access to the surgery suites in the James Cancer Hospital, Solove Research Institute and University Hospitals and occupies over 100 square feet of space within Surgical Pathology. TPS maintains constant communication with the surgical pathology staff and operating rooms and is the main workspace for the collection, preparation, processing of procured specimens. Tissues and biofluids are collected per the investigator’s protocol and are provided to the researcher in various preparations including fresh, frozen and formalin-fixed and include tissue types such as malignant, benign, diseased, and normal. TPS also works with the Department of Pathology’s Autopsy Services to collect biospecimens from eligible autopsies.
Within the Gross Room, specimens are inked and sectioned according to OSUWMC guidelines. The desired amount of surgical remnant tissue not needed for diagnosis is procured by the anatomic pathology technologist and/or pathologist assistant. The amount of tissue needed for research is determined by filtering all of the matching investigator requests from the TPR investigator management database. Once filtered, the anatomic pathology technologist will use the amount of tissue procured to determine which investigator requests can be served. The tissue is prepared according to the investigators request. A representative piece of tissue is taken for quality control and evaluation is conducted by a certified pathologist to confirm diagnosis and quality of the specimen.
Fresh biospecimens are shipped to investigators the same day they are procured while frozen biospecimens are temporarily stored in the -80 degree freezer until ready for shipping. Formalin fixed paraffin embedded specimens are stored ambient until ready to be shipped as well.
Rates are available here: https://cancer.osu.edu/for-cancer-researchers/resources-for-cancer-researchers/shared-resources/biospecimen-services/services-and-fees
Who do I contact to arrange for prospectively procured specimens?
Kelly Hamilton, 614-293-5449, Kelly.Hamilton2@osumc.edu