Program Cores

Administrative Core || Biospecimen, Pathology, and Genotyping Core || Analytic and Informatics Core

Core 1: Administrative Core

The purpose of the Administrative Core is to facilitate translational research in breast cancer by harnessing intellectual capacity and providing a mechanism for cost effective utilization of resources.  The Core will provide necessary administrative support structure to components of the SPORE program such that communication, integration, and oversight activities are optimized. The Administrative Core will facilitate communication and effectiveness in the activities among SPORE participants, involvement of other researchers and clinical providers at the University, collaborations with investigators and SPOREs outside of the University, interaction with government agencies, and relations with the outside patient and advocate community.

Specific Aims

1. Provide necessary administrative assistance to SPORE leaders and investigators.
   
2. Manage all SPORE finances.
   
3. Convene all meetings of the SPORE including monthly research meetings, Internal Advisory Board, External Advisory Board, and Executive Committee meetings.
   
4. Provide day-to-day logistical coordination for the SPORE.
   
5. Maintain responsibility for administration of the Developmental Research Program and the Career Development Program.
   
6. Ensure compliance with all institutional, governmental, and NCI-specific regulations and requirements, including timely communication and consultation with NCI staff.
   
   

Core 2: Biospecimen, Pathology, and Genotyping Core

Effective procurement of tissue and other biospecimens and their optimal utilization are vital for meaningful translational research activities.  Thus, the function of the Biospecimen, Pathology, and Genotyping Core is to facilitate acquisition, preservation, analysis, and dispersal of well-annotated clinical samples and to provide histopathologic characterization of tumor tissues for all project investigators.  The Core will obtain and maintain a repository of biospecimens including tumor tissue, pre-malignant tissue, adjacent non-malignant tissue, serum, plasma, peripheral blood lymphocytes, and lymphoblastoid cell lines, along with their derivatives such as DNA and RNA samples for laboratory use.  An effective coding system for all laboratory specimens will ensure patient confidentiality and prevent experimental bias. Continuous communication between the surgeons, research nurses, biostatisticians, and pathologists, as well as standardized operating procedures, will provide for optimal biospecimen collection and accurate processing, analysis, and storage of each sample. Samples will be prepared for genotyping in an efficient manner in a CLIA certified laboratory that assures quality control while ensuring that these precious materials are not wasted. Here is the Bispecimen request form, Genotyping request form

The Biospecimen Utilization Committee (BUC): This committee will handle the distribution of biospecimens. This committee will consist of two subcommittees of the Executive Committee: BUC1 will be responsible for tissue distribution and BUC2 for serum/Cell lines/DNA. Members of BUC1 will include Drs. Olufunmilayo Olopade, MD, Thomas Krausz, MD, Nora Jaskowjak, MD, and Suzanne Conzen, MD Members of BUC2 will include Drs. Olufunmilayo Olopade, MD, Eileen Dolan, PhD, and Soma Das, PhD.
Each subcommittee will have regular e-mail communications to evaluate two-page proposals by potential investigators (within or outside the SPORE). Each Biospecimen/Genotyping Data Request Form (See BPG-Core, Appendix VI) will have a uniform format to include: name, contact information, abstract, specific aims, summary of biospecimen needs, summary of funding to support the research, information about what follow up or clinical data will be required (which would be stripped of patient identifiers), and specific details regarding how tissues will be processed and shipped. In addition, each investigator will be required to provide evidence of IRB approval and a two-page NIH style format biosketch. Initially, formal meetings will be held four times per year and then on a monthly basis. The committee will review all requests, prioritizes them and resolve specific problems or disputes regarding specimen distribution. Every effort will be made to fulfill the needs of SPORE investigators for whom biospecimens were collected and who will have the first priority for tissue samples. This would be specifically relevant for all Projects of this SPORE. After this, the BUC will determine the priority for specimen use as outlined below.

Priority for specimen use will be based upon scientific merit and status of funding

The inventory of all biospecimens will also be discussed at the annual retreat and monthly SPORE meetings. The goal of the committee is to promote translational breast cancer research and prioritize biospecimen resources and distribution. The BUC will be flexible, in that as the research projects evolve, they will use foresight in promoting interactions that will rapidly test new approaches and will have the greatest impact on the translational science. Inter-SPORE collaborations will be promoted in particular and will receive greatest priority for the group after fulfilling our internal needs. Any issues/problems will be documented in writing and submitted to the Executive Committee. Minutes of the meetings will also be provided to the SPORE Director within 30 days.

The Biospecimen, Pathology, and Genotyping Core of the Breast Cancer SPORE will be integrated with two existing resources of the University of Chicago Cancer Research Center – the Human Tissue Research Core Facility and the DNA Sequencing and Genotyping Core Facility.  Currently, these facilities provide tissue and pathology services for cancer research, including microdissection, tissue microarray, immunohistochemistry, and genomic analysis.  By collaborating with these facilities in the Cancer Research Center, the Biospecimen Core can provide investigators with a coordinated, efficient service for managing the procurement and analysis of biospecimen and clinical data from breast cancer patients.              Back to top

Core 3: Analytic and Informatics Core

The goal of the Analytic and Informatics Core (AIC) is to work with each SPORE research project and the Biospecimen, Pathology, and Genotyping Core to provide an integrated data management system to facilitate integration among all projects and cores and to serve as a resource for the design of basic science experiments and clinical trials, development of innovative statistical methodology, statistical analysis, and publishing translational research generated through the Breast SPORE program. The AIC will merge all demographic, epidemiology, and specimen data into a single database to meet statistical needs and ensure research quality of all translational projects supported by this SPORE. This effort will be integrated with the Cancer Center Biostatistics Core Facility and the Bioinformatics Core of the University of Chicago for ease of administration, avoiding duplication of existing infrastructure and taking advantage of existing expertise. The Analytic and Informatics Core will incorporate sound experimental design principles within each project to enhance interpretability of study results, will carry out data analyses using appropriate statistical methodology, and will contribute to interpretation of results through written reports and frequent interaction with project investigators.

Specific Aims

1. Complete the development of SPORE databases, including development of systems to enhance the accuracy and completeness of project data and facilitate the sharing of data and results among SPORE investigators. The systems will link clinical, tissue, and laboratory data in a relational schema and include a web application interface to allow researchers to access databases, perform queries and edit checks, and export the data for statistical analysis.
2. Provide statistical and statistical genetic expertise in designing and conducting laboratory experiments, clinical trials, and genetic and epidemiologic studies arising from the primary research projects included in the SPORE.
3. Perform statistical and statistical genetic analyses and assist in the interpretation of study findings, summarization of results, and preparation of manuscripts for publication.
4. Conduct methodological research to provide research infrastructure for SPORE projects.  Among the first of the research projects on which the AIC will collaborate is the extension of HapMap information to members of CEPH pedigrees not included in the HapMap through use of linkage mapping information on all pedigree members.  This research project will substantially improve the power and resolution of Project 4, as well as provide a public resource with phenotype information on CEPH cell lines for use by other investigators.
5. Collaborate and assist all project investigators with the publication of scientific results          Back to top