SPORE Shared Resources (Cores)

SPORE Shared Resources (Cores)

Administrative Core

Directors: David DeNardo, PhD

Our Pancreas SPORE brings together a diverse group of talented investigators committed to understanding and treating pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. The goal of the Administrative Core is to provide executive oversight and administrative support for all of the Pancreatic Cancer SPORE projects and cores. The Administrative Core facilitates communication among the component activities of the SPORE, serves as the home for pancreatic cancer advocate activities, and provides an organizational portal for collaborations outside the SPORE. The Administrative Core also monitors the activities of all program components, ensures compliance with local and federal grant administration guidelines, and facilitates communication and collaboration among program members.

The specific goals of the Administrative Core are outlined below:

• Facilitate intra- and inter-SPORE communication and collaboration including development and maintenance of this website to provide real-time progress updates and contact information. In addition, the core plans and executes bi-monthly working group meetings, monthly Steering Committee meetings, and an annual retreat to facilitate the exchange of ideas and the use of shared resources.
• Provide administrative and fiscal oversight and support for all SPORE components. The Administrative Core interacts with Washington University’s Grants and Contracts Office and the National Cancer Institute staff to prepare and submit annual progress reports and complete other projects as needed.
• Coordinates all SPORE-related meetings. The Administrative Core coordinates the External Advisory Board and Internal Advisory Board meetings, attendance at the annual SPORE workshop, and monthly SPORE Steering Committee meetings.
• Coordinates SPORE Developmental Research Program administrative activities through soliciting and coordinating the review of pilot project applications.
• Coordinates the SPORE Career Enhancement Program. The Administrative Core assists with recruiting and monitoring candidates and awardees in this program.
• Assists investigators with preparing scholarly presentations, publications, regulatory documents and all other SPORE-related products.
• Enhances participation of underrepresented minorities in all SPORE activities.
• Ensures that advocacy issues are properly addressed and included in all aspects of research with patient participants.

The Administrative Core is a shared resource within the pancreas SPORE and will provide the necessary administrative support for the translational projects and cores.

Biospecimen Core

Directors: Ryan Fields, MD, and Mark Watson, MD

The controlled collection and processing of clinical specimens from patients with PDAC is a critical activity for an efficient and comprehensive program in translational research in the pancreas SPORE. Accordingly, the Biospecimen Core has one overarching aim: We will collect, store, process and distribute biospecimens from all patients with a diagnosis of PDAC seen at this institution to facilitate biospecimen-based translational research.

Our investigators collect malignant cell populations from tumors (from pre-surgical and surgical biopsies) along with normal pancreas, pre-malignant pancreatic lesions and peripheral blood from PDAC patients. Serum and plasma are collected for correlative and future studies. Specimens are collected throughout each patient’s disease course (initial presentation, pre-treatment, post-treatment/follow-up), and, where appropriate, archival specimens from previous biopsies/etc. are retrieved. Specimens are processed to cellular RNA, genomic DNA, whole genome amplified DNA and protein extracts as required for each study. Cellular populations can also be frozen or immediately processed for patient-derived xenograft and/or cell line derivitization/creation.  A tissue microarray (TMA) has been created and will be expanded, creating an important resource for future studies. Importantly, all specimens used for research are extensively and accurately annotated with clinical (pre-treatment, treatment and follow-up) data utilizing the bioinformatics infrastructure at our institution. Expert pathologic review from a dedicated GI pathologist will ensure high-quality annotation.

The aims of the Biospecimen Core are accomplished by expanding the scope of a well-established Cancer Center Tumor Bank and an on-going, funded effort to collect solid gastrointestinal malignancies at our institution.  Specifically, the Biospecimen Core will expand the number of PDAC patients from whom biospecimens will be collected, and serve as a conduit (through data and specimen sharing) to allow for a broader variety of translational research studies in PDAC malignancies, using new and previously banked biospecimens.

The Biospecimen Core is responsible for the identification, enrollment and collection of specimens from adult patients referred to the Siteman Cancer Center (SCC) with newly diagnosed PDAC.  The pathologic material from these patients will be banked utilizing our existing collaboration with the SCC Tissue Procurement Core, drawing on caTissue and other informatics resources developed by the Center for Biomedical Informatics. Clinical data will be annotated and prospectively maintained in a robust clinical database. The Biospecimen Core is integrated with and extends the success of our existing Solid Tumor Tissue Bank and Registry, which was established by the Biospecimen Core (PI Fields) in 2011, to serve as a platform for the investigation of solid tumor pathogenesis.

Available Resources: Tissue MicroArrays (TMAs) Pancreatic Tumors Bloods Animal Models Please contact Jacqueline Mudd for specimen requests at 314-362-2678 or [email protected] with the completed biospecimen request form. Request Form for Biospecimens *Please note requests are honored through a peer-review process.

Biostatistics Core

Directors: Graham Colditz, MD, DrPH, and Esther Lu, PhD

The Biostatistics Core provides the statistical design, data management and computational support for all Pancreatic Cancer SPORE investigators and projects. The Biostatistics Core staff will support consultation and collaboration on all aspects of study design, database development and quality control, and analysis, interpretation and presentation of data. The statisticians, epidemiologist and the database manager participating in the Biostatistics Core have a strong record of collaboration, and have been specifically chosen for their broad range of expertise in and experience with clinical trials, laboratory experiments, genetics and genomics research, and epidemiology studies. Our members have participated regularly in planning meetings in which the scientific goals and research methods of the SPORE projects were discussed.

The specific aims of the Biostatistics Core are to provide statistical input to the pancreas SPORE and, by so doing, to ensure a strong collaborative process. The Biostatistics Core will promote interaction among the projects and pilot studies. Through participation in specific projects and leadership activities, the interrelationships and synergy with the investigator team will accelerate the acquisition of knowledge beyond that which would be expected if these projects were implemented individually, or with research teams that were not interdisciplinary.

The Biostatistics Core has the following specific aims:

• Provide ready access to statistical expertise and computing consultation to the Pancreatic Cancer SPORE.
• Provide biostatistical/epidemiological expertise for the planning, analysis and reporting of laboratory experiments, epidemiology studies, and clinical trials and links to the bioinformatics core resources for microarray data and high-throughput genomics data processing as needed.
• Advise and support pancreas SPORE investigators and their data collectors (technicians, nurses, data managers, etc.) in the areas of data form design, data collection, record abstraction, computerization, database designing and management, and data quality control.
• Provide the scientific computing expertise required to meet the data management and analytical needs of pancreas SPORE investigators, and support interpretation and presentation of data.

The Biostatistics Core provides pancreas SPORE investigators with the ability to design and analyze studies that can then be linked to Shared Resources from the Siteman Cancer Center, Clinical Trials Office, Bioinformatics Solutions, and Genome Technology Access Center.  These resources can be leveraged for data form creation and uniform adverse event reporting, Tissue Procurement for sample storage and management (caTissue and related informatics), output from high-throughput genomic assays, and the expertise, tools, and analytic pipelines to streamline analyses and interpretation. The Biostatistics Core supports studies across the entire spectrum, from basic research to clinical translational trials.