MCW Tissue Bank - Biorepository & Tissue Analytics

Overview & Services

The MCW Tissue Bank provides biorepository and tissue analytics services involving human biospecimens to faculty investigators.

In addition to distributing tissues and other biospecimens, services associated with human biospecimens include tissue and blood processing, RNA/DNA extraction, tissue analytics, and storage.

Consented patients of Froedtert & MCW Hospitals and clinics donate non-diagnostic biospecimens for biomedical research to the General Tissue and Tumor Bank, the Maternal Bank, or the COVID-19 Bank.

The MCW Tissue Bank is a CAP-accredited biorepository, which ensures high-quality samples, vetted protocols, standard operating procedures, and knowledgeable and well-trained staff.

Biorepository - Biofluids 

• Services: 
• • Buffy coat lysis 
  • PBMC processing 
  • Simple blood processing 
  • Cell counting 
• Samples: 
• • Whole blood/Plasma/ Buffy Coat – fresh or frozen 
  • Cord blood/Plasma/Buffy Coat – fresh or frozen
  • PBMCs – fresh or frozen
  • Blood from recovered COVID-19 patients – fresh or frozen 
  • Bone marrow – fresh or freshly cryopreserved as viable bone marrow MNCs
  • Bone Marrow MNCs as discard samples from flow cytometry – fresh or frozen (limited viability)

Biorepository - Tumors and other Tissues

• Services:
  • Fresh tissue procurement (e.g. tumor, cardiovascular, maternal tissues)
  • Snap freezing
• Samples:
  • Fresh tissue (e.g. for PDX modeling, ex vivo explants or organoids, cell lines)
  • Snap frozen tissue
  • Formalin fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) tissue
  • Frozen tissue shaves

We perform Quality Control on banked samples

Biorepository - Nucleic acid extraction

• Fresh or fresh frozen tissue/cells - Column-based RNA/DNA extraction kits
• FFPE tissues - RNA/DNA extraction by Purigen Ionic Isotachyphoresis (better sequencing due to reduced contaminants, increased yield and less fragmentation)

Biorepository - Storage, supplies, and other services

• Data logging and barcoded labeling of samples
• Media, storage containers, and laboratory supplies
• Monitored, secure -80°C storage
• Monitored, secure LN/-150°C cryostorage

Tissue Analytics - Multi-color Immunohistochemistry and Histocytometry analyses

• Tumor Multicolor quantitative immunofluorescence histo-cytometry (7-color Akoya PhenoImager/Vectra Polaris)
  • Solid tumor immunoprofiling (CD4, CD8, CD20, FoxP3, CD68, pan-Cytokeratin, DAPI)
  • Custom 7-color multiplex immunostaining panels

Tissue Analytics - Tissue Arrays

• Tissue Array Construction:
  • Standard core-based tissue microarrays (TMA)
  • Tissue arrays by Cutting-Edge Matrix Assembly (CEMA)
  • Sausage arrays for use as positive and negative controls
  • Cell pellet arrays

• Available Tissue Array histological sections :
  • Standard core-based tissue microarrays (TMA)
  • Numerous normal and cancer TMAs - please inquire
  • COVID-19 - mini-array with SARS-CoV-2 positive and negative lung specimens
  • Miniarrays for antibody assay optimization (positive and negative controls)

Leadership

Steve Kroft, MD | Director

Mary Rau | Biorepository Manager

Yunguang Sun, MD, PhD | Tissue Analytics Manager

Location and hours of operation

Website

• Medical College of Wisconsin Tissue Bank

Contacts