Pathology Archives

As a byproduct of the standard histologic processing that occurs during the clinical activities of the UVA Health System, tissue samples are present as formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) blocks in the archives of the Department of Pathology. These samples represent biopsies, surgical resections and autopsies. These samples are part of the medical record, but excess material in these specimens may be used for research purposes. This requires appropriate UVA Institutional Review Board for Health Sciences Research (IRB-HSR) approval or non-human subjects research determination and also oversight by appropriate members of the Department of Pathology.

The BTRF is the institution’s designated point of contact for requesting materials from the Pathology Archives for research. The Faculty Director of the BTRF, Dr. Chris Moskaluk, is a member of the clinical faculty of the Pathology Department and supervises access to these materials.

Any release of material must be reviewed and approved by a BTRF-affiliated Pathologist or a collaborating clinical faculty member of the Pathology Department. It is institutional policy and a College of American Pathologists (CAP) accreditation requirement that original diagnostic blocks and slides must be retained and may not be released. Material available from archival cases is generally limited to recut histologic sections or core punches which do not deplete the diagnostic material.

Researchers requesting archival materials must submit a BTRF Application and must have appropriate human subjects approvals or a coded specimens protocol in the same fashion as general requests for BTRF banked specimens or tissue procurement. Please see Requesting Biospecimens for guidance on requesting specimens through the BTRF.