Tumor Tissue Bank

Function

The primary function of the Rhode Island Hospital Tissue Bank is to provide human tumor tissue samples to all interested investigators who have received approval from the Hospital Institutional Review Board for academic testing and research. In addition to neoplastic tissues, the tumor bank also collects and distributes, when available, adjacent normal human tissues that are dissected from surgical specimens. To date we have banked numerous specimens, see link for a list of samples including breast, kidney, liver, lung, thyroid, stomach, pancreas, colon, esophagus, parotid, as well as various other soft tissue masses.  

Tissue Procurement

Fresh tumor tissues are obtained from the pathology surgical suite as they are cataloged into the hospital database immediately after accession. Once the surgical pathologists have completed their diagnostic procedures and are convinced that their sampling will satisfy the diagnostic requirements, the excess tissues are processed quickly as possible for tumor bank purposes. We are on call during day shift hours to retrieve and process samples for the bank.

Freezing Process

Tissues are frozen over dry ice in OCT/cryomolds for Laser Capture as well as flash frozen in liquid nitrogen. Tissues are then transported to the tissue bank where they are catalogued and stored at   –80 o C.

Data Recorded

The date, location, method of preservation, amount of delay time, and tissue type are all entered into our Filemaker R database. The Tumor Bank at RIH is an anonymous tissue bank in accordance with the HIPAA and the Institutional Review Board regulations. Information will be used for research purposes only and will not be sold.

The Rhode Island Hospital/COBRE CCRD Tissue Bank is not-for-profit. Any income received will be used to offset the costs of obtaining and storing specimens.

To request samples from the COBRE CCRD Tissue Bank, please click here for form, print the form and return it to:

Trish Meitner, PhD

Aldrich 600A

Tel: (401) 444 8482

e-mail: pmeitner@lifespan.org