Experimental Tissue Shared Resource Facility

The primary objective of the Experimental Tissue Shared Resource (ETR) is to provide basic, translational and clinical cancer center researchers access to, and analysis of human and animal tissues. 

• A key advantage is that this Core leverages the technical and professional expertise of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
• Two component services are offered:
  • Tissue histology/immunohistochemistry (IHC)
  • Tissue analysis, including laser capture microscopy (LCM)
  • Image analysis
  • Genotyping services

The histology component has provided high-quality service at below-market recharge rates, with short turn-around times to cancer center members who are mainly pursuing translational research on human cancer specimens or studying rodent models of human cancer. Whenever required, we customize services to meet the special needs of cancer center members. These features have made our histology services superior to those available from commercial vendors, contributing to usage growth. ETR services contributed to a total of 14 publications (of which, 10 are cancer related) in the prior funding period. Analytical services, used by 15 investigators, have been particularly valuable to investigators pursuing translational and clinical research projects. The resource continues to evolve, integrating expertise in specialty analytical services, mouse pathology, histopathology consultation, and molecular pathology which will assist cancer center investigators using prognostic and diagnostic gene signatures.

SERVICES PROVIDED

• Tissue Histology & IHC (Carpenter (SPT)): The main purpose of this core is to provide histology services, such as processing, sectioning, H&E staining of tissue sections, immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy
• Tissue Analysis (Edwards (SPT)): A secondary, but still signi­ficant function is to provide image analysis and laser capture microdissection (LCM). The core offers the use of a cryostat and two LCMs, a UV laser Leica AS-LMD, and a dual-mode UV-IR LCM, an Arcturus XT.
  • For image analysis, a multi-spectral fluorescence microscope (CRi Nuance) and an Aperio Digital Pathology workstation are available for image archiving/ exchange and quantitative morphometric analysis
• Mouse Pathology (Edwards (SPT)): Dr. Edwards (SPT), a board-certified surgical pathologist with ten years experience with a mouse model of human disease. Dr. Edwards provides murine- histo pathology services for multiple researchers at UC Irvine.
• CLIA-certified Molecular diagnostics (Dr. Edwards (SPT)): Genotyping and gene expression characterization for diagnostics and prognostics.

Director: Robert Edwards, M.D.
Phone: 949.824.8576

Facility Manager: Kehui Wang
Phone: 949.824.8974
Finance Manager: Lillian Dalgleish
Phone: 949.824.8386
Location: Medical Science Building I, D-450, UC Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697