Access, Policies and Prioritization

BTRF Services primarily serves internal users at The University of Virginia. However, external users may access a subset of services directly and others via our affiliated programs. Please see below for access policy guidance.

• External users may request BTRF services such as routine histology and immunohistochemistry directly. Please contact the BTRF Director, Dr. Pat Pramoonjago with queries.

• External requests for prospective procurment or for banked biospecimens are served via the National Cancer Institute Cooperative Human Tissue Network (CHTN) mechanism. The CHTN Mid-Atlantic Division is co-located with the BTRF. External users should direct queries to the CHTN first. For additional information, please see the CHTN Website or e-mail the CHTN MIid-Atlantic Division at CHTN-MidAtl@hscmail.mcc.virginia.edu.
• External requests for archival pathology specimens for clinical trials should contact the UVA Health Dept. of Pathology directly.
• The BTRF and the CHTN do not provide specimens to external users for the purpose of specimen banking or for sale or transfer to 3rd parties.

• External requests for tissue microarray (TMA) slides are served by the CHTN mechanism. Please see the CHTN TMA Website for available designs and instructions for requesting them.
• External investigators may request construction of custom tissue microarrays (TMAs). The source blocks used for TMA construction must be provided by the requester. Direct queries to the BTRF Director, Dr. Pat Pramoonjago

• Availability of Pathology services and consultation for external users is very limited and considered on a case-by-case basis. Users with needs for Pathologist services are encouraged to seek collaborations with faculty in the Department of Pathology

• Specimens from the DoD Lung Cancer Biospecimen Resource Network (LCBRN) formerly co-located with the BTRF are now distributed via the Cooperative Human Tissue Network (CHTN) mechanism. For information about the CHTN, please see the CHTN Website or e-mail the CHTN MIid-Atlantic Division at CHTN-MidAtl@hscmail.mcc.virginia.edu.
• External requests related to cancer which fall outside the scope of the CHTN may be eligible to obtain specimens via the Oncology Research Information Exchange Network (ORIEN). Please see the ORIEN Website or e-mail the UVA ORIEN Coordinator, Elizabeth Mulcahy at QX3K@hscmail.mcc.virginia.edu.

Since there are a limited number of samples available and material from individual cases/patients is limiting, we prioritize prospective collections and distribution from the BTRF general bank as follows:

1. UVA investigators who have obtained specific consent from the subject for sample collection related to participation in a clinical trial.
2. UVA investigators who have obtained specific consent from the subject for sample collection unrelated to a clinical trial.
3. Other investigators internal to The University of Virginia
4. External academic investigators served through allied consortia (CHTN and ORIEN)(includes Federal and National laboratories)
5. Commercial entities served through allied consortia (CHTN and ORIEN)
6. External academic investigators without consortia approval
7. Commercial entities without consortia approval