Medical College of Wisconsin
Medical College of Wisconsin Cancer Center

Biorepository and Tissue Analytics Shared Resource (BTASR)

The Biorepository and Tissue Analytics Shared Resource supports cancer research by providing MCW Cancer Center members with human tissues and other biospecimens, biospecimen processing services and expertise, and histopathology and advanced tumor analytics.

Scheduling, Location, and Hours of Operation

Biorepository: Dynacare Building, lower level
Tissue Analytics: Translational and Biomedical Research Center, 4th floor
Monday–Friday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Submit a BTASR iLab request

Services and Technologies

BTASR provides a broad range of biospecimen services, including standard and custom processing, leading-edge digital pathology analytics, clinical trial support, and storage.

CLIA-compliant and accredited by the College of American Pathologists, BTASR ensures quality operation and access to meticulously collected and quality-controlled specimens, vetted protocols, standard operating procedures, and knowledgeable, highly-trained staff.

View the Tissue Bank Biorepository FY25 price sheet (PDF)

View the Tissue Analytics FY25 Price Sheet price sheet (PDF)

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Tumor Tissues and Biofluids
  • Frozen/fresh tumor tissue for PDX, ex vivo explants/organoids, cell lines
  • Viable bone marrow, blood, cord blood
Multiplex Quantitative IF-Histocytometry
  • Solid tumor immunoprofiling
  • Quantitative multiplex IF imaging
  • Tissue processor, microtomes, embedding stations, autostainer, and coverslipper
  • Agilent Dako Omnis; Leica Bond Rx
  • 3DHistech Pannoramic Flash (bright field and IF); Akoya PhenoImager (7-9 color IF scanner)
  • Software: Tissue Studio, Akoya inForm, QuPath
Nucleic Acid (RNA/DNA) Purification
  • Frozen tissue: QIAGEN column purification
  • FFPE tissue: Purigen Ionic isotachophoresis 
Storage Services
  • Data logging and barcoding of samples
  • Monitored cryostorage
Biorepository and Tissue Analytics Shared Resource

iLab Requests; Funding Support

iLab Requests and Support

Funding Support
Investigators should first utilize all available funding resources (below). If funding support is still needed, contact the Shared Resource Director to discuss Cancer Center support.

Researcher at Monitor

Shared Resource Acknowledgement

A condition for using MCW Cancer Center supported Shared Resources is that each Shared Resource is acknowledged in the publication. These acknowledgements enable the Cancer Center to measure and document Shared Resource productivity, impact, and service to members.

View Shared Resource acknowledgement instructions. (PDF)

Leadership

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Steven Kroft, MD

Director, Biorepository and Tissue Analytics Shared Resource

View Profile

Staff Members

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Mary Rau

Research Program Director

mrau@mcw.edu

Notable Publications

Corrigendum to Tumor-specific T cells in head and neck cancer have rescuable functionality and can be identified through single-cell co-culture. (Zenga J, Awan M, Frei A, Foeckler J, Kuehn R, Espinosa OV, Bruening J, Massey B, Wong S, Shreenivas A, Shukla M, Kasprzak J, Sun Y, Shaheduzzaman M, Chen F, Kearl T, Himburg HA) Transl Oncol 2024 Jun;44:101927 PMID: 38641374; DOI: 10.1016/j.tranon.2024.101927; Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85187349354

The Janus kinase 1 is critical for pancreatic cancer initiation and progression. (Shrestha H, Rädler PD, Dennaoui R, Wicker MN, Rajbhandari N, Sun Y, Peck AR, Vistisen K, Triplett AA, Beydoun R, Sterneck E, Saur D, Rui H, Wagner KU) Cell Rep 2024 May 28;43(5):114202 PMID: 38733583; PMCID: PMC11194014; DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114202; Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85192447874

Identification of novel loci for multiple myeloma when comparing with its precursor condition monoclonal gammopathy of unknown significance. (Buradagunta CS, Arsang-Jang S, Massat B, Thapa B, Patek V, D'Souza A, Auer P, Urrutia R, Janz S, Dhakal B, Hari P, Dong J) Leukemia 2024 Feb;38(2):383-385 PMID: 37919604; DOI: 10.1038/s41375-023-02078-6; Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85175540732

Needle biopsy accelerates pro-metastatic changes and systemic dissemination in breast cancer: Implications for mortality by surgery delay. (Kameyama H, Dondapati P, Simmons R, Leslie M, Langenheim JF, Sun Y, Yi M, Rottschaefer A, Pathak R, Nuguri S, Fung KM, Tsaih SW, Chervoneva I, Rui H, Tanaka T) Cell Rep Med 2023 Dec 19;4(12):101330 PMID: 38118415; PMCID: PMC10772461; DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2023.101330; Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85180077828

Frequent upregulation of HER2 protein in hormone-receptor-positive HER2-negative breast cancer after short-term neoadjuvant endocrine therapy. (Chaudhary LN, Jorns JM, Sun Y, Cheng YC, Kamaraju S, Burfeind J, Gonyo MB, Kong AL, Patten C, Yen T, Cortina CS, Carson E, Johnson N, Bergom C, Tsaih SW, Banerjee A, Wang Y, Chervoneva I, Weil E, Chitambar CR, Rui H) Breast Cancer Res Treat 2023 Oct;201(3):387-396 PMID: 37460683; PMCID: PMC10795510; DOI: 10.1007/s10549-023-07038-3; Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85164922339

High PD-L2 Predicts Early Recurrence of ER-Positive Breast Cancer. (Chervoneva I, Peck AR, Sun Y, Yi M, Udhane SS, Langenheim JF, Girondo MA, Jorns JM, Chaudhary LN, Kamaraju S, Bergom C, Flister MJ, Hooke JA, Kovatich AJ, Shriver CD, Hu H, Palazzo JP, Bibbo M, Hyslop T, Nevalainen MT, Pestell RG, Fuchs SY, Mitchell EP, Rui H) JCO Precis Oncol 2023 Jan;7:e2100498 PMID: 36652667: PMCID: PMC9928763; DOI: 10.1200/PO.21.00498

NSG-Pro mouse model for uncovering resistance mechanisms and unique vulnerabilities in human luminal breast cancers. (Sun Y, Yang N, Utama FE, Udhane SS, Zhang J, Peck AR, Yanac A, Duffey K, Langenheim JF, Udhane V, Xia G, Peterson JF, Jorns JM, Nevalainen MT, Rouet R, Schofield P, Christ D, Ormandy CJ, Rosenberg AL, Chervoneva I, Tsaih SW, Flister MJ, Fuchs SY, Wagner KU, Rui H) Sci Adv 2021 Sep 17;7(38):eabc8145 PMID: 34524841; PMCID: PMC8443188; DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abc8145; Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85115168052