Cores

Three shared resource cores, including an Administrative and Outreach Core, a Biospecimen and Pathology Core, and a Data Science Core, are supporting all three Liver Cancer SPORE projects. Each core leverages already established UT Southwestern and Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center shared resources to develop infrastructure dedicated to liver research.

CORE A: Administrative and Outreach

The Administrative and Outreach Core (Core A) acts as the “hub” of oversight and management for the SPORE, interacting the three main SPORE Projects, plus UTSW's Development Research Program, Career Enhancement Program, and the other two cores. They organize meetings and seminars to encourage the flow of information and ideas, increase efficiency, and discuss future directions. This core also leads outreach efforts to engage patient groups and includes a Patient Advocacy Panel that provides the patient and advocate perspective, keeping all SPORE research patient centric.

Core A's primary objective is to organize a complex network of interactions involving numerous investigators, staff, cores, and advocates. A specific management plan is in place for rigorously evaluating metrics of existing projects, terminating underperforming projects, advancing developmental/pilot projects into major projects, and supporting career development of junior investigators, particularly from underrepresented populations/groups.

• Core A Specific Aims

  1. Oversee and direct all scientific and administrative aspects of the Liver Cancer SPORE, including research/data management, fiscal oversight and adherence, and communication, including:

  1. Oversee and maintain scientific quality and rigor of the SPORE
  2. Record, monitor, and oversee all budgetary items
  3. Monitor and ensure all aspects of SPORE compliance in following NCI regulations and requirements, and communicate with NCI TRP Director (and other required staff) to ensure compliance with reporting
  4. Schedule and organize all meetings, including meetings with the IAB, EAB, and Patient Advocacy Panel

  2. Oversee and coordinate with the Developmental Research Program (DRP) and Career Enhancement Program (CEP) to provide fiscal, organizational, and outreach support.

  3. Coordinate and oversee activities of the Patient Advocacy Panel.

  4. Oversee and facilitate resolution of scientific disputes.

Leads

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CORE B: Biospecimen and Pathology

The Biospecimen and Pathology Core (Core B), is an innovative resource with a comprehensive repository of patient-derived biospecimens, including >300 fresh-frozen liver cancer tissue samples, >700 clinically annotated serum and plasma samples from patients with HCC, >900 clinically annotated serum and plasma samples from patients with cirrhosis but no HCC, and >800 DNA samples that can be leveraged by each project. The core also builds on extensive expertise and leadership in the generation of liver cancer orthotopic patient-derived tumorgraft models and organoids. 

This core ensures high-quality tissue procurement, sample quality assurance, oversight required for optimal tissue utilization, and high-quality technical services to efficiently support the Liver Cancer SPORE mission. The overarching goal is to expand and provide the infrastructure and services necessary for the successful completion of all SPORE projects and to promote collaborations internal and external to UTSW through its Specific Aims.

• Core B Specific Aims

  1. Preserve and expand a liver cancer and cirrhosis specimen biorepository and infrastructure with clinical and molecular genomics annotation and integration within a web portal for distribution to Liver Cancer SPORE investigators and collaborators.

  2. Develop, expand, and utilize innovative tissue and cell resources (including tissue microarrays, tumor cell lines, and immortalized liver cell lines) that will aid successful completion of SPORE projects.

  3. Provide pathology services and expertise in histo-morphologic analysis of human- and animal-derived specimens to SPORE investigators and collaborators.

Leads

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CORE C: Data Science

The Data Science Core (Core C) has assigned each project to a dedicated biostatistician and bioinformaticians to ensure thorough, comprehensive, and consistent support for the broad informatics needs of the project. The core also has developed a secure web-accessible portal for data storage, integration, and cross-referencing across SPORE datasets, including the biorepositories in Core B. The dedicated IT infrastructure designed for the Liver Cancer SPORE ensures secure storage and access to the data, streamlined sharing of data and scientific ideas, state-of-the-art analysis and visualization capabilities, and rigorous scientific interpretation of SPORE project findings.

The primary objectives of Core C are to ensure high-quality support for study design, biostatistical/bioinformatic analysis, and data management as a solid foundation for the daily conduct of the SPORE projects and to ensure proper reporting of the findings in the most informative manner and in compliance with relevant regulations. Core C will solidify and expand the dedicated data science support for the SPORE investigators through its Specific Aims.

• Core C Specific Aims

  1. Provide biostatistical support for experimental design with power calculation, statistical analysis, and interpretation for all Liver Cancer SPORE-related research activities.

  2. Provide bioinformatics support for genomic and imaging data preprocessing, analysis, interpretation, and visualization for all Liver Cancer SPORE-related research activities.

  3. Maintain and expand a web-based database and analysis tools by our liver cancer biorepository for streamlined and integrated access to liver cancer biospecimens and clinical/molecular data for SPORE investigators and the broader liver cancer research community.

Leads