Renal Pathology Core

Location: Harvard University, Boston, MA

Overview | Investigators

Overview

In order to perform a battery of histochemical and immunochemical stains on kidney biopsy tissue samples, the ITN has established a Renal Pathology Core. For diagnosis and clinical care decisions, this Core will perform 3x Hematoxylin and Eosin Stains (H&E), 1x Trichrome staining, and 1x Periodic Acid Schiff Reaction (PAS). Other stains available to ITN through this Core are: Collagen III for morphometry, CD3 for infiltrating T-cell count, and C4d. Per ITN request, the Renal Pathology Core will perform special studies on occasion. The special studies will include, but may not be limited to polyoma virus stain and EBER. Core Directors, in collaboration with the ITN have developed a protocol identifying optimal conditions for tissue collection, processing and transfer to the storage facility located at McKesson Biosciences.

Core functions include the following:

• Evaluating and interpreting clinical biopsy material including transplanted kidney, liver and islet tissue and specimens from relevant tissues in a variety of autoimmune diseases, for example, synovial fluid or skin biopsies.
• Performing assays to assess effects of tolerance inducing regimens on T cell numbers, subsets, activation states, apoptosis, and function (when possible). These assays include a combination of in situ immunohistochemistry (T cell marker analysis and molecular approaches (i.e. TUNEL assays).
• Performing specialized-protocol specific assays
• Developing a tissue analysis database, which archives raw images and analyzed data for future use and analyses. Standard data collection methods and quality control of data are employed.

Participating Investigators

	Robert Colvin, Massachussets General Hospital, Boston, MA
	R. Neal Smith, Massachussets General Hospital, Boston, MA