The East Coast AIDS and Cancer Specimen Resource (EC ACSR) was established by the National Cancer Institute as part of the national AIDS and Cancer Specimen Resource (ACSR) in 1994. The goal of the bank is to collect, preserve, and maintain a comprehensive, confidential, state-of-the-art bank of malignant and other specimens and clinical data from HIV-infected individuals for national research. The specimens for the EC ACSR are maintained within the Department of Pathology at the George Washington University Medical Center (GWUMC).

The EC ACSR presently holds a collection of over 109,346 specimens from the George Washington University Medical Center and other consortium member sites. This inventory represents 16 categories of AIDS-associated malignancies and controls, as well as other specimens pertinent to HIV. Features of the specimen bank include:

*      specimens representing malignant and benign tumors, infectious and reactive processes, and control specimens from involved and uninvolved tissue/organs;

*      representation of women and minority populations;

*      pheresed specimens from HIV-infected patients with malignancies;

*      special collections from Rwanda, Brazil, Thailand, Zambia, and Moscow.

Researchers interested in obtaining specimens for study may contact the National ACSR for further information and application forms.

Individuals interested in donating a specimen to the EC ACSR should call 202-994-1444.

TEM cell graphic

The EC ACSR is lead by the George Washington University Medical Center (GWUMC) which also serves as the Operations Center. GWUMC has been extensively involved in the clinical and scientific aspects of HIV/AIDS for many years. Sylvia Silver, D.A., is the Principal Investigator for the EC ACSR, and Jan Marc Orenstein, M.D., Ph.D., is the Co-Principal Investigator. Both are professors in the Department of Pathology, GWUMC.

We are pleased to have in our consortium the following institutions:  

*      Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center - Bruce Dezube, M.D., Principal Investigator.  Dr. Dezube is the director of the AIDS Malignancy and Research Center at Beth Israel and is a member of the AIDS Malignancy Clinical Trials Consortium.  (Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center)  TOP               

*      Johns Hopkins University - Richard Ambinder, M.D., Ph.D., and Chris Beyrer, M.D., Principal Investigators. The Johns Hopkins University (JHU) has long been a leader in care and research in HIV disease. Dr. Ambinder is the James B. Murphy Professor of Oncology and an active member of the AIDS Consortium Clinical Trials.
 (The Johns Hopkins University) TOP   

*      Montefiore Medical Center - Robert M. Grossberg, M.D., Principal Investigator. Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine (MMC/AECOM) joins the EC ACSR with this application, and is located in the Bronx, NY, one of the five boroughs of New York City. MMC/AECOM has one of the largest and most diverse HIV-positive patient bases in the U.S. Since the beginning of the epidemic, the Bronx has been an epicenter of HIV within the United States. The latest New York City Department of Health statistics revealed a cumulative AIDS incidence of over 118,000 adult cases. MMC investigators have been at the forefront of AIDS research and patient care since the beginning of the epidemic having been involved in seminal research related to HIV manifestations, epidemiology, co-morbidities, pathogenesis, and therapeutics.  (Montefiore Medical Center)  TOP                                

*      University of Nebraska, Lincoln - Charles Wood, Ph.D., Principal Investigator. The University of Nebraska's Zambia HHV-8 project is under the direction of Charles Wood, Ph.D. The HHV-8 project is supported to 1) determine the prevalence rate of HHV-8 and dual HHV-8/HIV infections among pre-partum women and their newborns, 2) characterize the mode of mother to infant HHV-8 viral transmission, as well as 3) identify and describe risk factors, such as HIV-associated virus vertical transmission. (University of Nebraska, Lincoln) TOP

COLLABORATORS

*      Mount Sinai School of Medicine Manhattan HIV Brain Bank  (MHBB)  The Manhattan HIV Brain Bank is a research resource (R24 award) funded by the National Institute of Mental Health. Due to the advanced nature of its cohort, patients with a variety of neoplasms have been enrolled, including those with central nervous system lymphomas. Most current holdings are in the form of fixed, embedded tissues that can be sectioned and assembled into microarrays; frozen tissues and fluids are being collected prospectively. Inventories will be listed through the ACSR. TOP 

 

*      The AIDS Malignancy Consortium (AMC) is a National Cancer Institute-supported clinical trials group founded in 1995 to support innovative trials for AIDS-associated malignancies. The AMC is composed of 14 main Clinical Trials Sites and their affiliates, and an Operations and Statistical Center. The AMC is committed to enhancing therapeutic options for patients with AIDS-associated malignancies. TOP    
 

*      The Women's Interagency HIV Study (WIHS) was established in August of 1993 to investigate the impact of HIV infection on women in the U.S. The core portion of the study includes a detailed and structured interview, physical and gynecologic examinations, and laboratory testing. The WIHS participants are also asked to enroll in various sub-studies, such as cardiovascular, metabolic, physical functioning, and neurocognition. New proposals for WIHS sub-studies are submitted for approval by various scientific investigators from around the world.  TOP  

 

EC ACSR Consortium is listed below and includes:

George Washington University

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Johns Hopkins University

Montefiore Medical Center

University of Nebraska, Lincoln

EC ACSR Collaborators

Mount Sinai School of Medicine Manhattan Brain Bank

The AIDS Malignancy Consortium

Women's Interagency HIV Study

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
GWUMC AIDS and Cancer Specimen Bank