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The Cancer Center

Houston, Texas

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Cancer Center
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Human Tissue Acquisition and Pathology

(Thomas Wheeler, M.D., Director;
Pamela Younes, Co-Director)

Dr. Thomas WheelerServices:

Tissue Acquisition and Distribution

Supported by the The Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center, human tissue banking activities have been expanded to include development of a uniform patient consent and standardized tissue collection processes across all tumor sites at the Michael E. DeBakey Veteran’s Administration Hospital and Ben Taub General Hospital.

Description

  • Distribution of banked tissue specimens to investigators
  • Project-based fresh tissue collection
  • Clinical trial support of tissue acquisition effort
  • Inventory and data management

Archive, Tissue Microarray (TMA) and Research Services

The Pathology tissue bank manages an archive that contains formalin fixed paraffin-embedded tissue specimens from a variety of organ/disease types. Approximately 10 to12 years of clinical, pathological and follow-up data is available for most of these tissue specimens. Using this valuable collection and our TMA expertise, we also offer TMA services. 

Description

  • Search: Identify the cases that meet investigator’s project need.
  • TMA design: TMA is designed to address questions in investigator’s proposal. Clinical & pathological data that is associated to each specimen on the array is displayed in the design in an excel format.
  • TMA and cell array construction: TMA and cell array can be built using specimens provided by the investigator. TMA can also be built using our archival tissues.
  • TMA quality control: Tissue/cell type and diagnosis for each specimen on TMA is confirmed by a pathologist. Clinical follow up is available for most of these specimens via the hospital cancer registry.

Histology and Pathology Services

Description

  • H&E-staining and histochemistry
  • Unstained tissue/tissue array sectioning
  • Immunohistochemistry (IHC) using either manual or automated DAKO immunostainer
  • Apoptosis (TUNEL) assays
  • Tissue/cell processing and embedding
  • Sectioning of thick tissue curls for RNA/DNA isolations
  • Pixell II laser capture microdissection
  • Scoring IHC and TUNEL results
  • Photography, digital
  • Florescent/Confocal microscopy

Circulating Tumor Cell (CTC) Analysis (CellSearch™ System)

The CellSearch™ System offers an advanced, semi-automated assay that enables the capture, identification, and classification of rare circulating tumor cell (CTCs) in a standardized, objective manner. Combining high accuracy, specificity, and reproducibility with state-of-the-art automation, the CellSearch™ System is the only laboratory platform that standardizes sample collection, cell capture, staining, enumeration, and characterization of CTCs. The CellSearch™ System consists of a Autoprep™ system and Analyzer II. Blood is collected and processed through an immuno-magnetic methodology to obtain, enumerate and classify specific markers for breast, colorectal and prostrate cancer.

Description

  • Enumerating circulating tumor cells (CTC) in blood.
  • Enumerating circulating endothelial cells (CEC) in blood.
  • Profiling tumor cells by using available assays for expression of known biomarkers (MUC1, EGFR, and HER2).
  • Help investigators develop expression profile assays of CTC biomarkers of interest.
  • Enrich cells via immunomagentic processes for investigator(s) to perform further studies offline (e.g. molecular assays, FISH, flow cytometry)

Charge Back Fees

SERVICE
DESCRIPTION
PRICE
UNIT
NON-CANCER CENTER MEMBER
CANCER CENTER MEMBER
Fresh Tissue Specimen collection only
$30
$20
Per specimen
Specimen, clinical data & pathology report
$40
$25
Per specimen
Frozen Tissue (FF) Specimen pull & delivery
$40
$30
Per specimen
Specimen, one H&E, diagnosis confirmation
$50
$35
Per specimen
Specimen, one H&E, diagnosis confirmation, clinical data & pathology report
$60
$40
Per specimen

Unstained tissue sections, 4-5 µm, one H&E, diagnosis confirmation, clinical data & pathology report

$40
$30
5 unstained
tissue sections
$50
$35
10 unstained tissue sections

Tissue curls, 10 µm per curl in a 1.5 ml enpendorf tube, one H&E, diagnosis confirmation, clinical data & pathology report

$40
$30
5 tissue curls, 
10 µm Per curl
$50
$35
10 tissue curls,  10 µm Per curl
Formalin-Fixed Paraffin-Embedded Tissue (FFPE) Specimen pull & delivery
$20
$10
Per specimen
Specimen, one H&E, diagnosis confirmation
$30
$15
Per specimen
Specimen, one H&E, diagnosis confirmation, clinical data & pathology report
$40
$20
Per specimen

Unstained tissue sections, 4-5 µm, one H&E, diagnosis confirmation, clinical data & pathology report

$20
$10
5 unstained tissue sections
$30
$15
10 unstained tissue sections

Tissue curls, 10 µm per curl in a 1.5 ml enpendorf tube, one H&E, diagnosis confirmation, clinical data & pathology report

$20
$10
5 tissue curls, 
10 µm Per curl
$30
$15
10 tissue curls,  10 µm Per curl
Tissue Microarray (TMA)

TMA construction using tissue/cell blocks from investigator

$125
$100
30 cores, 0.6mm
$250
$200
50 cores, 0.6mm
$500
$400
100 cores, 0.6mm
$875
$700
200 cores, 0.6mm
$1,625
$1,300
360 cores, 0.6mm
$875
$700
80 cores, 1.0mm
$625
$500
42 cores, 2.0mm
TMA unstained slide using archived FFPE blocks
$50 to $195
$30 to $150
Per unstained slide depend on number of cases, and size of cores on the array
Processing & Embedding Formalin fixed & paraffin embedded tissue block
$6
$4
Per block
OCT tissue block
$6
$4
Per block
Snap frozen tissue block
$6
$4
Per block
Tissue decalcification
$6
$4
Per sample
Tissue re-embedding
$2
$1
Per block
Formalin fixed & paraffin embedded cell block
$7
$5
Per sample
OCT cell block
$7
$5
Per block
Hand Processing
$15
$10
Per block
Microtome Frozen tissue sectioning
$8
$5
Per slide
Paraffin tissue sectioning
$5
$3
Per slide
Preparation of tissue slices for RNA/DNA retrieval
$8
$5
10 µm Per slide,
5 slides Per block
TMA sectioning
$8
$5
Per slide
Cytospin
$5
$3
Per slide
Staining H&E staining
$5
$3
Per slide
IHC Titration
$150
$100
Per antibody
Staining using investigator supplied antibody
$15
$10
Per slide
IHC using core sullied antibody
$18
$12
Per slide
Double immuno staining
$45
$30
Per slide
Cytology smears stained
$5
$3
Per slide
Special Stain-Group I
(simple, non silver)
$12
$7
Per slide
Special Stain-Group II (complex, silver)
$15
$9
Per slide
Microscopy & Pathology Evaluation Pixell II laser capture micro dissector
$100
$50
Per hour
Scoring IHC results
$75
$50
Per hour
Photography, digital
$75
$50
Per hour
Florescent/Confocal microscopy
$75
$50
Per hour

Circulating Tumor Cell Analysis

CTC enumeration
$250
$200
Per sample
CEC enumeration
$250
$200
Per sample
Epithelial Cell Enrichment
$120
$80
Per sample
CTC Phenotyping
(MUC1, EGFR, HER2)

Contact for Pricing

CTC Phenotyping
(custom assay)

Contact for Pricing


Locations:

  • Tissue Acquisition and Distribution
    BCM Department of Pathology
    Room 220B
    (Pamela S. Younes, M.S., B.A.)

  • Archive, TMA and Research Services
    BCM Department of Pathology
    Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 109 Room 118
    (Xiaoyun Shen, M.D., Ph.D.)

  • Histology and Pathology Research Services
    These services are conducted at the VA Medical Center. There is a drop-off location at Baylor College of Medicine for daily pick-up of samples (BCM 286A)
    (Xiaoyun Shen, M.D., Ph.D.)

  • CellSearchTM System
    BCM Department of Pathology
    Room 209E
    (See Dr. Tom Wheeler or Pamela Younes)

Director:

Thomas M. Wheeler, M.D.
Professor and Chair, Department of Pathology
Professor, Department of Urology
Phone:  713-798-4664
E-mail:  twheeler@bcm.edu

Personnel:

Pamela Younes, M.S., B.A.
Co-Director
Phone:  713-798-5581
E-mail:  pyounes@bcm.edu

Xiaoyun Shen, M.D., Ph.D.
Manager
Archive, TMA and Research Services
Phone:  713-794-8296
E-mail:  xshen@bcm.edu

Dandan He, M.D.
Archive, TMA and Patient Consent
Phone:  713-794-8296
Email:  dandanh@bcm.edu