UCCC Biospecimen Shared Resource (UCCC-BSR)

Research / Core Facilities

College of Medicine Research Core Facilities

The UC College of Medicine houses several research core facilities designated as core service centers. These facilities exist within multiple departments but are collectively supported by the College of Medicine Office of Research through the Associate Dean for Research Core Facilities: Ken Greis, PhD. (ken.greis@uc.edu; Tel: 513-558-7102).

The service center designation signifies the rates charged by each of these facilities have been reviewed and approved by the UC Government Cost Compliance Office; thus, the service fees can be charged to federal grants and contracts. Details related to the services offered and the internal rates for each of the cores are provided below. Since these rates are substantially subsidized by the University, external investigators should contact individual core directors to get a rate quote.

Resources to offset some of the cost of the core services may be available through a variety of centers and institutes across UC depending on an investigator’s affiliation. Information for support from the CCTST is provided here:

Center for Clinical and Translational Science and Training (CCTST) Just-in-Time Core Support

UC invesitgators also hvae full access to shared resource cores at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. Details are provided here:

Shared Facilities | Cincinnati Children's (cincinnatichildrens.org)

We have recently transitioned our core facilities booking and management to the PPMS system from Stratocore. To book and access services from the core facilities, please log in or create an account in Stratocore via:

My PPMS Dashboard

Stratocore Account Creation Guides:

New UC PI Account Creation

New UC User Account Creation

New External User Account Creation

UCCC Biospecimen Shared Resource (UCCC-BSR)

The UCCC Biospecimen Shared Resource (UCCC-BSR) is a fee-for-service biospecimen procurement and storage facility that collects, stores, and dispenses high-quality human biospecimens in support of clinical, translational, and basic research.

The UCCC-BSR provides access to a large and growing collection of biospecimens, including malignant tissues with matched normal tissue, blood, and urine. The UCCC-BSR also provides fit-for-purpose prospective biospecimen procurement services tailored to study specific requirements.

Investigators who are interested in accessing banked biospecimen should complete a Sample Request Form. For prospective collection services please contact Kelsey Dillehay McKillip.

To access services from the UCCC-BSR, please login or create an account in Stratocore at https://ppms.us/uc/start/.

Acknowledgement

For manuscripts, please include the following information in the acknowledgments section: "Biospecimens (and/or Derivatives) and associated data were provided by the Univerity of Cincinnati Cancer Center Biospecimen Shared Resource.”

Please notify the UCCC-BSR of assisted publications and grants. Acknowledgment of our services helps to ensure the continuation support and services.

Grant Information

A general NIH description of facilities and equipment for this core may be accessed with this link - UCCC BSR NIH Summary May 2024; however, it is highly recommended that you discuss your specific core needs with the core director or manager while preparing the grant application since they can likely provide tailored information regarding their capabilities to enhance your application.

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Services/Internal Fees

Service	Cost
Prospective Biospecimen Procurement	N/A
Fresh tissue procurement (initial)	$48.50
Additional fresh tissue (from the same case)	$17.50
Fresh blood (initial - EDTA and serum tubes standard)	$34.00
Additional blood tube (from the same draw)	$9.00
Fresh urine	$34.00
Banked Biospecimen	N/A
Frozen tissue - per aliquot (size varies)	$27.00
Unstained tissue section - per slide	$3.75
Additional unstained section - per slide	$2.00
H&E staining - per slide	$5.50
Tissue scrolls - per 5 x 10 µm scroll	$14.00
Whole blood - per 1 ml aliquot	$6.00
Serum/Plasma - per 0.5 ml aliquot	$7.50
Buffy coat/cell pellet - per 0.25 ml aliquot/pellet	$7.50
Urine - per 3 ml aliquot	$8.50
Biospecimen Storage	N/A
Storage first year - per box	$33.00
Storage after the first year - per box/year	$6.50
Sample annotation and tracking in database (basic) - per sample	$8.00
Sample annotation and tracking in database (complex) - per sample	$16.00
Sample pulling/re-stocking - per sample	$2.50
Sample Processing	N/A
DNA extraction (includes quantitation) - per sample	$30.00
RNA extraction (includes quantitation) - per sample	$50.00
RNA quality assurance (RIN) - per sample	$30.00
Data Acquisition	N/A
Medical chart abstraction - per hour	$32.00
Consulting	N/A
Pathologist slide interpretation - per hour (average 5 minutes/standard slide)	$158.00
Director - per hour	$79.00
Coordinator - per hour	$32.00
À la carte Services	N/A
Consent (includes tracking) - per subject	$17.00
Blood collection - per collection	$17.00
Urine collection - per collection	$17.00
Stool collection - per sample	$17.00
Tissue collection - per collection	$31.50
Blood processing - per tube (serum/plasma/buffy coat)	$23.00
PBMC processing - per sample	$130.00
Urine processing - per tube (centrifugation and aliquoting)	$14.50
Stool processing - per sample	$10.00
Tissue processing - per tissue (flash freezing, processing, embedding, etc.)	$10.00
Pass through expenses	variable

FAQs

What are your hours or operation and where are you located?

Our hours of operation are Monday- Friday, 7am – 6pm. The UCB is located in Medical Sciences Building, Room 1252.

What types of biospecimens are available through the UCB?

The UCB maintains a large and growing collection of blood, urine, and tissue collected from individuals with cancer. Tissue samples are available as flash frozen, embedded in freezing media (e.g., OCT), and paraffin embedded.

How do I request services?

To request biospecimens and associated services please complete a Sample Request Form.

UCB personnel will first determine the feasibility of your request. Next, a governance committee will review your request. Committee members will review your request for scientific merit, alignment with institutional goals, and impact on the collection. Pending committee approval, the requested materials will be released to you.

Do I need IRB approval?

The UCB maintains IRB approval for the collection and distribution of de-identified biospecimens for research purposes.

All biospecimens and associated data are de-identified using a unique code. Information that could identify the donor is never provided to investigators in order to protect individual privacy and confidentiality. Often, use of de-identified biospecimens and data does not meet the federal definition of human subject research. However, we request all investigators submit and provide documentation of Not Human Subject Determination. Instructions can be found here: http://researchcompliance.uc.edu/hrpp/irb/NotHumanSubjects.aspx

Can you provide fresh tissue and biofluids?

Yes, the UCB can provide prospectively procured tissue and biofluids for your research. We ask that you provide your preferred collection media.

How large are the tissue samples?

The amount of tissue available varies based on anatomic site, procedure, diagnosis, and neoadjuvant therapy. Please carefully consider and document tissue size requirements in your Sample Request Form.

How many samples can I have?

There are many factors determining the number of prospectively procured or banked biospecimen available for your research study. Feasibility will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

How long will it take to receive the requested samples?

Fulfillment time for requests will vary depending on the requirements of your study and the availability of the requested samples. Please note that more restrictive specimen requirements (e.g., sizing, inclusion/exclusion criteria, etc.) will decrease availability.

Can you provide associated clinical data?

Yes, the UCB provides basic demographics (age, race, gender, etc.) and pathology findings free of charge. An hourly medical chart abstraction fee will be applied to requests for detailed clinical history or outcome data. All associated clinical data will be de-identified.

What is a Sample Usage Agreement?

Prior to releasing any biospecimens or data for your study, you will be asked to read and sign our Sample Usage Agreement. In signing this form, you agree not to attempt to identify the individuals from which the biospecimen was procured and that you will not share any specimen with third parties.

Publications

A. A. Chimote et al., Kv1.3 Channels Mark Functionally Competent CD8 + Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes in Head and Neck Cancer. Cancer Res. 77, 53–61 (2017).

M. Guo et al., Gene signature driving invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma of the lung. EMBO Mol. Med., e201606711 (2017).

D. Unruh et al., Levels of Alternatively Spliced Tissue Factor in the Plasma of Patients with Pancreatic Cancer May Help Predict Aggressive Tumor Phenotype. Ann. Surg. Oncol. 22 Suppl 3, S1206-11 (2015).

T. R. Tuttle et al, Placental lactogen is expressed but is not translated into protein in breast cancer. PLoS One. 9, 9–11 (2014).

A. Subramani et al., The brain microenvironment negatively regulates miRNA-768-3p to promote K-ras expression and lung cancer metastasis. Sci. Rep. 3, 2392 (2013).