1. Biorepository and Pathology CoRE

Frequently Asked Questions

RESOURCES

In serving the research community of the Mount Sinai Health System, our goal is to deliver services and training that are effective and transparent, which ultimately accelerate scientific discovery to the benefit of diverse patient communities. If you are an investigator interested in using the Biorepository and Pathology CoRE, our FAQs are an excellent place to start.

Histology Shared Resource Facility Services

Samples should be brought to the Histology CoRE at our Atran 2-54 laboratory in 4% or 10% neutral buffer formalin after they have been fixed in the solution for a period of approximately 24 hours.

Histology CoRE has a digital form with an itemized list and description of all services including pricing.  The form may be accessed through iLab or by contacting Alan Soto. The Histology CoRE laboratory is located in Atran 2-54.

Generally, the turnaround time is two to three weeks after physically having received the samples (we operate on a first-come, first-serve basis). For urgent cases, the user should discuss deadlines directly with the Histology CoRE personnel to gauge feasibility.

Yes, a project can be placed as rush service, which will accelerate the process and reduce the time of completion to four to five business days (when feasible) from the moment the specimen is physically received in the Histology CoRE Laboratory in Atran 2-54. Rush services are associated with an additional fee.

Yes, all projects can be customized to meet the specifications of the principal investigator. However, for a project to be handled as such, a conversation must take place, along with written instructions provided to the Histology CoRE personnel. It is crucial that all custom projects are fully detailed to produce the desired results for the requesting laboratory.

When a project has been completed, an e-mail is sent to the contact person provided on the Histology CoRE form. They may then pick it up Monday through Friday, from 8:00am to 6:00pm, with or without our staff being present, in the “Completed Projects Pick-Up Area” of the Histology CoRE Lab located in Atran 2-54. Each project is addressed to the researchers who oversee it, and during pick up, they will need to sign to confirm they have received the project.

The cost of each project will appear once the electronic request form has been completed. As an alternative, the cost can be discussed in advance with the Histology CoRE personnel. If the principal investigator has questions regarding billing or invoices for a project, the CoRE personnel can address them once they have been billed at the beginning of the month.

Per CoREs policy, price discounts are not allowed. Please contact Rachel Brody, MD, PhD, for any follow-up discussion.

Immunostaining Services

We facilitate immunohistochemical as well as immunofluorescence detection in samples from human tissue, mouse tissue, and other specimen types using commercial and in-house antibodies. These results support various biomarker and pathway analyses across multiple disease areas.

We offer both manual and Ventana autostainer assay development activities. The user specifies the application type according to the antibody type, nature of the study, and tissue type.

After an initial discussion, unstained sections on superfrost plus slides should be brought to Atran 2-56, between 9:00 am and 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday. The tissue must be accompanied by a completed immunohistochemical service request form. If only fresh samples or paraffin blocks are available, they may be delivered to the Histology CoRE Lab (Atran 2-54) for sectioning, along with the appropriate paperwork.

If the investigator does not have their own positive control slides, the immunostaining services can provide tissue from the Biorepository with an additional cost per slide. In the final assay, we will use a positive control for the characterization/titration of antibodies.

We assist researchers in the development of protocols for novel antibodies. To begin this process, users of the Biorepository and Pathology CoRE should meet with Rachel Brody, MD, PhD, to discuss this service. For this service, investigators should provide the antibody, information from western blot analyses, and both positive and negative tissue/cell line controls for analysis.

We have a list of antibodies and standard protocols that have been developed for routine immunohistochemistry staining. The CoRE may provide a small aliquot for testing; however, the investigator should provide antibodies of their interest to perform the final staining.

Yes. Researchers are always welcome to discuss their study with Biorepository and Pathology Director Rachel Brody, MD, PhD  as well as Tin Htwe Thin PhD and Monica Garcia-Barros PhD.

The turnaround time is generally two weeks. However, for urgent cases, the user should discuss directly with Tin Htwe Thin, PhD, to accommodate deadlines.

Laser Capture Microdissection (LCM) Services

Yes, the Biorepository and Pathology CoRE assists users in performing laser microdissection from tissue samples and cells. We also provide ribonuclease-free and protein-appropriate slides and sectioning capabilities for investigators. The cost of these slides is summarized in our electronic request form.

We offer training, sectioning, rapid immunohistochemistry, and rapid immunofluorescence staining. This includes RNAse-free conditions, as well as extraction of DNA and RNA from LMD cut sections.  The Biorepository and Pathology CoRE is also able to provide a hands-free approach to LMD for all investigators upon request.

There are two training courses that a user must complete in advance of performing laser capture microdissection. The first is readily accessible training on laser safety. The second is demo training, which is an hour-long session focused on how to operate the instrument and technical advice for the preparation of a sample. This training is given in person by Biorepository and Pathology CoRE staff, and there is a demo fee per hour, as described in the electronic request form.

After completing both training sessions, a reservation must be made through iLab. Once time slots are reserved, please confirm the reservation with Tin Htwe Thin, PhD.

Macromolecular Pathology Services

Through this service, we can extract DNA/RNA from tissue or body fluids obtained in the Biorepository, as well as from your own samples (i.e. fresh, snap-frozen, OCT, FFPE and blood).

To discuss the project and determine the feasibility and timing, the investigator should contact Rachel Brody, MD, PhD, or Yayoi Kinoshita, DMD. 

Yes, we can assist you in finding the best approach to ensure your project will be successful.

It depends on the sample type. Human tissues usually vary in the amount of DNA/RNA which can be obtained (range: 1 to 30 µg, average: 5 to 10 µg). If the starting material is small, such as a needle biopsy, cytology specimen, decayed tissue, or stroma, it may be difficult to extract more than 500 ng per sample.

This depends on the sample type. FFPE DNA is sheared and FFPE RNA is generally not good quality (RIN: 2 or lower).

The turnaround time is generally two weeks. However, for urgent cases, the user should discuss directly with Yayoi Kinoshita, DMD, to accommodate deadlines.

It depends on the service. Please contact Rachel Brody, MD, PhD, or Yayoi Kinoshita, DMD, for the price list.

Biorepository Services

The Biorepository is one of the CoRE services of the Biorepository and Pathology CoRE at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. It is physically located in the Department of Pathology (Annenberg 15) and serves our community as a vast collection of surgical and autopsy tissue specimens for translational and basic research.

Using Institutional Review Board-approved protocols, the Biorepository identifies relevant surgical specimens based on project and/or investigator requirements. When the specimen is available, the Biorepository personnel will coordinate acquisition, and after pathologist examination, the research sample is released to Biorepository for processing, storage, and subsequent release. 

The Biorepository collects tissue specimens as formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue, liquid nitrogen snap-frozen, OCT-embedded and RNA-Later formats. The formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded blocks are stored at room temperature. The snap frozen, OCT and RNA-Later specimens are stored at -80˚C.  Each specimen is registered in the Freezerworks database and the diagnosis and quality is confirmed histologically by Biorepository pathologists.

All specimens are provided with descriptive, de-identified clinical-pathology information.  Specific, identified patient data is only available with confirmed International Institutional Review Board-approved consent.

The principal investigator of the research group should contact Rachel Brody, MD, PhD, with their proposal and project details.