The Tumor Bank

MCG Tumor Bank BF 236 Murphey Pathology Building Medical College of Georgia 1120 15th Street Augusta, GA 30912 Director: Judith G. Giri, PhD Office: (706) 721-5279 Pager: (706) 721-7243 (PAGE)            * 7293 Lab: (706) 721-4689 E-mail: jgiri@mcg.edu Personnel: Procurement and Distribution Tiffany Lewis Office: (706) 721-0840 E-mail: tlewis@mcg.edu Yue (Belinda) Wang Office: (706) E-mail: yuwang@mcg.edu Database and Informatics: Diana Amick Office: (706) 721-6117 E-mail: damick@mcg.edu Patient Consents: Surgical Research Services Mary Anne Park, RN, MSN Office: (706) 721-0193 E-mail: mpark@mcg.edu

The MCG Tumor Tissue and Serum Repository or tumor bank, located in the Department of Pathology, Murphey Pathology Building, was established with support from the Georgia Cancer Coalition (GCC). Its mission is to provide researchers access to high quality annotated specimens, an essential requirement for cancer research.

The advent of novel molecular techniques, such as those used in the Genomics and Microarray Resource of The MCG Cancer Center, has heightened the role of the biorepository. Without biospecimens of appropriate quality, the information obtained through these powerful new technologies will be compromised, delaying instead of advancing new discoveries.

The collection of specimens, coordinated by the tumor bank, requires the collaboration of many individuals, such as surgical oncologists, surgery staff and pathologists. Most important in this process are the patients who donate specimens for future research. It is an opportunity for patients to contribute to science that may lead to better and earlier cancer detection and treatments. And donating makes use of tissue or other material that is unneeded for diagnosis and that would otherwise be discarded.

The repository collection includes a variety of specimen types, such as tumor tissue and cells, blood and other biofluids as well as normal specimens used as controls. The quality of all specimens is reviewed by a pathologist, and the information is captured in the tumor bank’s database. An imaging system will be used in the future to capture this information.

Human-derived specimens are a very precious resource, and therefore the operations of the tumor bank are overseen by an advisory board, representing MCG and other stakeholders, to ensure that the specimens are properly utilized and the privacy of specimen donors is protected.

Learn more about the operation of the tumor bank.

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