Research Cores

Core 1: Administration

Marcus Bosenberg, MD, Director and Harriet Kluger, MD

This core is responsible for establishing the infrastructure, communication and evaluation systems of the SPORE, identifying new areas for translational research, organizing research in progress meetings, inter-SPORE collaborations, workshops, fostering collaborations with biotechnology companies, and supporting patient advocates activities, among others.

Core 2: Specimen Resource Core

Marcus Bosenberg, MD/PhD, and Antonella Bacchiocchi, Core Manager

The Core provides support for translational projects, developmental research projects as well as the skin cancer-related research of non-SPORE investigators. The Core collects, stores and distributes to SPORE investigators multiple matched specimens for various analyses. The current tissue bank includes:

• Snap-frozen and paraffin-embedded melanoma specimens
• Cell culture from tumor specimens
• Snap-frozen patient matched normal skin and circulating blood cells
• Serum and plasma from melanoma patients and healthy individuals
• Normal melanocytes from newborn and adult skin
• DNA, RNA and proteins from patients and healthy individuals

Core 3: Bioinformatics/Biostatistics Core

Harriet Kluger, MD and Marcus Bosenberg, MD/PhD are the Principal Investigators.

The bioinformatics/biostatistics core handles the bioinformatics, statistical and data management of the SPORE projects. The core performs bioinformatics analyses of “omics” data from whole-genome gene expression, Whole exome mutations, DNA methylation, SNP and CNV data, designing novel statistical approaches as needed. The core is in charge of a study tracking system, and is maintaining the data management for the YSPORE tissue collection, using caBIG compliant and NCI-sponsored specimen tracking systems. The core is an active participant in caBIG, with the goal of establishing a data-sharing network that allows for collaboration among skin cancer researchers at Yale and across the nation.