CTSA

Core Facilities, Equipment, and Resources

This page contains information about the various resources and core facilities available to researchers through the Translational Technologies and Resources Program of the CTSA. Select a core below to read about the services and technology available at each core.

• Tissue Procurement and Histology
• Proteomics Core Facility
• Imaging Research Core Facility
• Gene Expression and Genotyping
• Cytometry Core Facility
• Clinical Trials Core Facility
• Biostatistics Core Facility

Tissue Procurement and Histology

Director: Gregory T. MacLennan, MD
Assiciate Professor of Pathology

Services

The Core facility supports Cancer Center member researchers by acquiring, preserving, and distributing high quality human tissues and providing priority histology services for both human and animal tissues.

Services Available:

• Normal, benign, diseased, and malignant tissues from surgeries and autopsies
• Matched normal adjacent tissue and tissues from different organ sites of the same donor with special emphasis on accessing metastatic samples
• Tissues are prepared according to user-defined protocols and can be fresh, snap-frozen, or fixed
• Protocol development for tissue collection and processing
• Quality control reviews on human tissue samples are conducted to verify diagnosis before release to investigators (unless needed immediately)
• Demographic (age, race, gender) and histopathologic data supplied at no charge
• Long-term, monitored storage of samples (over 3 months)
• Consulting services on tissue availability and researcher application process
• Information source regarding Institutional Review Board (IRB) requirements for research uses of discarded human tissues and patient privacy regulations (HIPAA)
• Paraffin, OCT or methacrylate embedding
• Standard and serial sectioning
• Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and other morphological staining upon request
• Enzyme staining and immunohistochemistry (IHC)
• Laser capture microdissection (LCM)

Human Tissue Procurement Facility

Please note: Researchers must complete a formal application and have IRB approval to access human tissue from the Core.

Resources

• Fully equipped laboratories for tissue collection, processing, and histology
• Three liquid nitrogen freezers including two K-Series Cryostorage Systems w/9,000 total sample capacity, equipped with Pacer 2L electronic monitoring and automated fill
• Leica 1850 Cryostat, several microtomes, LKB 2078 Histo Knife Maker, and related equipment for sectioning blocks and preparing slides
• Daily access to Tissue Tek VIP automatic tissue processor
• Olympus CH30 microscope equipped with D Plan Achromat objective lenses
• Arcturus PixCell IIe laser capture dissecting microscope
• Workstations for data collection and management; access to hospital databases

Fees

View the list of fees (PDF)

Contact for Information

Proteomics Core Facility

Director: Mark R. Chance, PhD
Professor of Physiology & Biophysics

Co-Director: Michael T. Kinter, PhD
Associate Professor of Cell Biology, Physiology & Biophysics

Services

The overall goal of the Proteomics Core Facility is to make advanced mass spectrometry instruments, expertise, and methods for proteome analysis available to all investigators.

Services include the following:

Protein Identification
Characterization of post-translational modifications
Quantitation of protein expression
Quantitative Top-Down Proteomics using 2-D gels
Quantitative Bottom-Up Proteomics using LC-MS
Experimental Design for Quantitative Proteomics
Data analysis
Bioinformatics analysis
Training
Independent use

Resources

Case facility:

• Thermo-Finnigan Fourier Transform LTQ mass spectrometer
• GE/Amersham 2-D gel DIGE system
• Two Applied Biosystems Q-star mass spectrometers
• Thermo-Finnigan DECA XP-Plus and LTQ instruments
• Beckman Biomek FX robotic liquid handling systems
• prOTOF 2000 MALDI Mass Spectrometer

Lerner Research Institute facility:

• Three capillary column HPLC-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry systems
• One MALDI-TOF system (TofSpec 2E)
• ThermoFinnigan LCQ-deca
• ThermoFinnigan LTQ
• Micromass Q-ToFmicro

Further Information

Case Western Reserve University
Center for Proteomics and Mass Spectrometry
http://proteomics.case.edu

Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute
Proteomics Laboratory
http://www.lerner.ccf.org/services/mass_spec/

Contact for Information

Imaging Research Core Facility

Director: Christopher A. Flask, PhD
Assistant Professor of Radiology

Imaging Research Center home page

Overview

The Imaging Research Core Facility provides many regional cancer researchers with state-of the-art imaging research capabilities. The Imaging Research Core Facility aims to present an efficient and cost-effective opportunity for collaboration for basic science and both clinical and preclinical cancer research. This Core Facility creates functional and integral links between research programs, academic training (at graduate, postdoctoral, medical student, resident and faculty levels) and patient care. It creates a structure that facilitates interaction across departments and across schools in the university, bringing together researchers with a shared purpose of in vivo analysis of underlying physiology of onset, progression, treatment and therapeutic assessment for disease. The Imaging Research Core Facility currently provides a range of imaging services including routine imaging services that are performed by facility staff; collaborative developmental imaging studies where more intense pilot studies are performed with the guidance of imaging faculty to obtain preliminary data; and necessary training for researchers to perform imaging experiments independently.

Resources, Services and Fees

Concorde R4 microPET Scanner
Contact: Ray Muzic, PhD muzic@uhrad.com

GammaMedica X-SPECT (CT/SPECT Combined) Scanner
Contact: Zhenghong Lee, PhD lee@uhrad.com

X-Ray/Planar Gamma Scintigraphic Scanner
Contact: Zhenghong Lee, PhD lee@uhrad.com

Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopy
Contact: Chris Flask, PhD flask@uhrad.com

Bioluminescence
Contact: David Wilson, PhD david.wilson@case.edu

Image Analysis
Contact: Baowei Fei, PhD baowei.fei@case.edu

In addition to the imaging instrumentation, the imaging research core has the following resources:

• Four individual animal staging/preparation rooms to quarantine specific animal colonies/species
• Multiple bio-safety hoods for safe handling of immune-deficient animals
• Multiple EZ-Anesthesia systems to provide remote, controllable sedation for a variety of animals in the animal staging and imaging rooms
• Physiologic monitoring and control systems to monitor cardiac and respiratory function of the animals during imaging procedures
• Biological safety cabinets to safely perform a wide variety of surgical and preparatory procedures
• Radiopharmaceutical lab, equipped with a pneumatic delivery system, for the safe handling of radiotracers for use in the nuclear medicine modalities
• 4°C refrigerator and 20°C freezer for handling and storage of radioactive materials
• Radiofrequency electronics design and fabrication laboratory for producing custom transmit/receive coils for specific MRI/MRS imaging applications
• High-end PC computers and image analysis software programs, including many image analysis tools, visualization programs, and software applications

Contact for Information

Gene Expression and Genotyping

Director: Martina L. Veigl, PhD
Associate Professor of General Medical Sciences (Oncology)

Gene Expression and Genotyping Core Facility home page

Services

The Gene Expression and Genotyping Facility (GEGF) facilitates implementation of high throughput genetic technologies for the research conducted by members of the Case community.

Primary Services

Gene Expression (Affymetrix)

• Brokerage of microarrays (testchips and full expression arrays)
• cRNA preparation
• Evaluation of cRNA quality on test arrays
• Processing user-prepared and/or facility-prepared cRNA microarrays
• Data reduction/data analysis
• Low cost access to valuable, advanced, server-based data mining and annotation tools

Gene Expression (RT PCR)

• Brokerage of ABI RT PCR assay kits and reagents
• Sample preparation
• RT PCR set-up for relative quantitation and absolute quantitation
• Execution of RT PCR for user-prepared and/or facility-prepared PCR reactions
• Help with data interpretation/analysis
• Endogenous control determinations

SNP Analysis (Affymetrix)

• Brokerage of 10K and 100K SNP arrays
• Sample preparation
• Processing of sample on Affymetrix SNP array
• Help with analysis

SNP Analysis (ABI)

• Sample prep (384 well format, high throughput enabled by Matrix robotics)
• Endpoint plate reading (high throughput enabled by ABI autoloader)
• Measurement of real time spectral data (initial validations) on 7900
• Basic PCR execution on 9700
• Matrix robotics (programmable for custom set-up)
• Help with analysis

Accurate RNA quality assessment and quantitation

• Accurate quantitation of RNA samples on Nanodrop spectrophotometer
• Quality assessment on Agilent Bioanalyzer

Additional Services

• Individually tailored consultation with potential users
• Assistance with grant preparation
• Assistance with experimental design
• Facilitate monthly meetings of Working User's Group to discuss experimental design, data reduction, etc.
• Serve as resource for linking users to databases, expression array data, etc.
• Provide 3 credit hour course on issues pertaining to expression arrays
• Regular software workshops/training

Fees for Arrays and Services

Contact for Information

Cytometry Core Facility

Director: James W. Jacobberger, PhD
Professor of General Medical Sciences (Oncology)

Services

The Cytometry core provides flow and image cytometry and cell sorting instrumentation, expertise, training, consultation, and services to Cancer Center investigators. Services provided:

• Consultation
• Training
• Teaching
• Flow Cytometry - low, intermediate and high levels
• Image Cytometry
• Cell Sorting
• Cell Counting, live/dead measurements
• Data Analysis
• Staining

Instrumentation

Cell Sorters:

• BD Biosiences FACSAria: 3 laser, 9 parameter, high speed, 4 way, auto-cloning, ~biosafety II
• Beckman Coulter Elite ESP: 2/3 laser, 8 parameter, normal speed, 2 way, auto-cloning

Cell Analyzers:

• BD Biosiences LSR: 3 laser, 8 parameters (6 color)
• BD Biosiences LSR 2: 4 laser, 42 parameters (12 color)
• Beckman Coulter XL: 1 laser, 8 parameter (4 color)

Compucyte iCyte:

• 3 laser, solid support scanning cytometer, (6 parameter, 5 color)

Resources and Fees

Fees are charged for data acquisition time only. Data analysis, graphics, etc. are charged at the same rate, if Core personnel perform the function. Routine consultation is not charged.

Contact for Information

Clinical Trials Core Facility

Director: Afshin Dowlati, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine (Hematology/Oncology)

Clinical Trials Database

Services

This core facility provides investigators with a broad range of services to assist in the initiation and conduct of clinical trials. Services include the following:

• Protocol-related nursing care for patients on Phase I and II protocols including eligibility screening, clinical assessment and follow-up, phlebotomy, pharmacokinetics and real time specimen preparation and monitoring of serious or adverse events;
• Data management services, including verification of patient eligibility, completion of case report forms, and completion of flow sheets and forms required by the NCI, the Cancer Center or other regulatory agencies;
• Follow-up data collection after completion of the treatment phase;
• Facilitating approval of clinical trial agreements by appropriate hospital and university departments;
• Budget preparation and review;
• Negotiation of budget with pharmaceutical companies.

Fees

Data management/research nurse charge is $25.00/hour. The charge per patient will vary depending on the amount and type of resources required by an individual protocol. Investigators are encouraged to include biostatistical and data management costs in developing grant and contract proposals. For further information on fee structure and coordination of clinical trial research, contact Core Manager, Anne Ness.

Contact for Information

Biostatistics Core Facility

Director: Mark D. Schluchter, PhD
Professor of Epidemiology & Biostatistics

Co-Director: Paul J. Elson, ScD
Associate Staff, Quantitative Health Sciences

Services

The Biostatistics Core Facility provides investigators with capabilities in biostatistics, clinical trials, epidemiology, statistical computing, and database and information management. A goal of the Core Facility is to assure the scientific process of cancer research. The Core Facility has wide involvement in support of research at the Cancer Center. Collaboration with investigators is provided on biostatistical issues and database management in clinical trials, prevention and cancer control research, genetic and population studies, and translational research. Investigators are encouraged to utilize the Core Facility at the first stages of study design, and to maintain an ongoing collaboration throughout the study. The resources of the Core Facility are available to all Cancer Center members. The Core offers investigators:

• Study Design and Protocol Development
• Review of Cancer Center Protocols
• Data and Study Monitoring
• Data Analysis and Reporting
• Database Development and Management
• Education and Training

Contact Information
Please click here for a complete list of contact persons in the Biostatistics Core.

Locations:
Biomedical Research Building (BRB), Suite G19, Case Western Reserve University
Taussig Cancer Center, Desk R-40, Cleveland Clinic

Fees

In general, biostatistical support provided to Cancer Center members is free of charge. Funded projects requiring biostatistical support are expected and encouraged to include fte support or funds for any biostatistical support required once funded.