Liver Tissue Analysis Core

Location:University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA

Overview | Investigators

Overview

The ITN established a Liver Tissue Analyses Core to perform analyses of the biopsy materials obtained from ITN sponsored clinical studies. This material will be collected during clinical trials of liver transplant protocols and possibly from the patients who established tolerance to liver transplant.

The biopsy material will be collected according to the standards developed by the ITN and the Core Facility. The biopsy material will be used for mechanistic and immunofluorescence studies.

The Core laboratory routinely performs 2 Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) and 1 Trichrome staining procedures on all protocol and clinically indicated biopsies obtained for acute clinical events. On an as needed basis, the Core will perform the EBER Probe or phonotypical analyses of any atypical infiltrate or cell type that might represent a neoplasm.

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

Anthony Jake Demetris, University of Pittsburgh