Available Biospecimens
The ACSR has formalin-fixed paraffin embedded biospecimens, fresh frozen biospecimens, malignant cell suspensions, fine needle aspirates, and cell lines from patients with HIV-related malignancies. The ACSR also contains serum, plasma, urine, bone marrow, cervical and anal specimens, saliva, semen, and multi-site autopsy speicmens from patients with HIV-related malignancies including those who have participated in clinical trials. The ACSR has an associated databank that contains prognostic, staging, outcome and treatment data on patients from whom tissues were obtained.
The ACSR database contains more than 300,000 individual biospecimens with associated clinical information. Biospecimens are entered into the ACSR database by processing type, disease category, and number of cases defined by disease category.
Investigators requesting biospecimens are highly encouraged to address their inquiries directly to the Central Operations and Data Coordinating Center (CODCC) for complete and up to date information regarding biospecimen availability.
| Specimens by diagnosis: |
- Kaposi's sarcoma
- Non-Hodgkins lymphoma
- Hodgkins disease
- Leukemia
- Condyloma, dysplasia and CIS
- Squamous cell carcinoma
- Adenocarcinoma
- Sarcoma
- Germ cell tumors
- Primary effusion lymphomas
- Other malignancies in HIV patients
- Lymphadenopathy
- Opportunistic infections
- Plus appropriate HIV and HIV- controls
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Kaposi's Sarcoma
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| Specimen type: |
- Formalin-fixed paraffin embedded tissue
- Fresh frozen tissue
- Fine needle aspirates
- Cell lines from patients with HIV tumors
- Fluid biospecimens (plasma, semen, saliva, CSF, effusions)
- Blood and bone marrow cells
- Plastic embedded tissue for transmission electron microscopy
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Large Cell Lymphoma
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Special collections
Each of the ACSR Regional Biorepositories specializes in the collection of various biospecimens, including:
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- Biospecimens preserved specifically for electron microscopy
- Longitudinal sera and some corresponding tissue from AIDS-KS patients with numerous attendant clinical values
- Tissue microarray (TMA) blocks, in which sample cores are taken from multiple archival blocks and arrayed in a single paraffin block
- Multi-site autopsy, frozen tissue in Optimal Cutting Temperture (OCT) medium and relevant control tissue
- Bone marrow aspirates paired with fresh biopsies
- Tumor cell suspensions with immunophenotype data
- Malignant lymphoid effusions associated with HHV-8 (KSHV) from HIV positive and negative patients
- A wide variety of biospecimens with international pedigrees
- Biospecimens linked to lymphoma epidemiology studies
- Anogenital malignancy study associated biospecimens
- Gynecological biospecimens (including cervix, endometrium, vulva, perineal)
- HIV biospecimens from Thailand
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Burkitt's Lymphoma
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| Tissue Microarrays (TMA) |
- Hundreds of tissue samples can be assembled onto a TMA
- Opportunity for examination of large number of tumors
- HIV-infected tissues and related malignancies along with non HIV-infected related controls
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Custom Specimen Sets
Custom biospecimen sets can be obtained upon request. The ACSR continues to develop special sets of biospecimens, including serial biospecimens from patients involved in clinical trials, matched tumor and control specimens, multi-site autopsy specimens, lymphoma epidemiology study specimens, male/female derived specimens from all AIDS risk categories, and internationally obtained biospecimens.
Need assistance with your search?
Contact the ACSR Central Operations and Data Coordinating Center’s (CODCC) at inquiries@acsr.ucsf.edu for assistance with your search for biospecimens. The ACSR will not only search the ACSR database for biospecimen requests but can help to obtain biospecimens from numerous other sources to supplement your research needs.