Prostate SPORE Core Resources

The Mayo Clinic Cancer Center SPORE in Prostate Cancer comprises five Mayo investigator-initiated research projects, and four core resources constructed around a theme of prostate cancer and consolidated by an Administrative Core. Prostate SPORE research projects cores are:

Core 1: Administrative Core (Donald J. Tindall, Ph.D.)
Core 2: Biospecimen Core (John C. Cheville, M.D.)
Core 3: Clinical Core (Brian J. Davis, M.D., Ph.D.)
Core 4: Biostatistics Core (Eric J. Bergstralh)
Core 5: Patient Advocate Core (Donald D. Layton, Jr., M.D.)

Core 1: Administrative Core (Donald J. Tindall, Ph.D.)

The Administrative Core supports the operational structure of this SPORE. It provides coordination of the research projects, scientific cores, and developmental programs of the SPORE. It also serves to enhance communication between SPORE investigators and facilitate all SPORE operations and interactions. The Administrative Core is responsible for coordinating the SPORE Executive Committee and the Advisory Council. Dr. Tindall serves as Director of the Administrative Core, and Dr. Davis as Co-Director. The Administrative Core supports SPORE activities by: (1) providing leadership, organizational support, and financial management for SPORE investigators; (2) coordinating monthly scientific meetings of SPORE investigators, and the ongoing scientific review of SPORE research projects and cores; (3) reviewing progress of the SPORE full and developmental projects; (4) providing for information transfer to the scientific community via professional and public means; (5) providing the structure for nurturing collaborations to facilitate and expand prostate cancer research; and, (6) acting as liaison with leadership of the other Prostate SPOREs and the NCI SPORE Program.

Back to Top

Core 2: Biospecimen Core (John C. Cheville, M.D.)

The Prostate Biospecimen Core of this Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) provides a coordinated, centralized and dedicated program for procurement and processing of biospecimens obtained from men with prostate cancer. Human biospecimens are one of the most valuable and unique resources available for translational research at Mayo Clinic. The goal of the Biospecimen Core is to collect a full spectrum of biospecimen tissue, blood and urine, from every prostate cancer patient undergoing treatment for their disease. The Biospecimen Core coordinates acquisition of normal and neoplastic prostate tissues, blood and urine for translational research. A portion of normal and prostate cancer tissue from each patient will be obtained fresh and stored frozen to provide investigators with DNA and RNA and the remainder of the tissue will be available in paraffin blocks stored at the Mayo Clinic Tissue Registry. The Biospecimen Core serves as a resource of expertise, collaborative effort and service for pathology, immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization, laser capture microdissection, reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), tissue microarrays and digital image analysis (DIA). The Biospecimen Core provides an interface and be electronically integrated with the Prostate Cancer Patient Registry, Biostatistics Core and the CaBIG initiative. The collection, banking and use of biospecimens will be performed with appropriate patient consent, state and institutional approval. The Biospecimen Core interacts and collaborates with other Prostate SPOREs to promote resource sharing and integrate scientific projects of mutual interest.

Back to Top

Core 3: Clinical Core (Brian J. Davis, M.D., Ph.D.)

The Clinical Core provides patients to support the translational and clinical portions of all Projects of the Prostate SPORE. Clinical trial management including protocol administration, patient recruitment and data entry will be managed by the Core. Patients will be recruited for participation in the SPORE translational research and clinical trials in this core which will operate jointly in the Departments of Urology, Radiation Oncology, and Medical Oncology. Database managers in each department assist in recruiting patients for these studies, schedule tests and follow-up appointments, and gather data. Prospective follow-up data collection in support of the biomarker Project 1 will include serum prostate specific antigen (PSA), physical examination, and disease status. Data storage and analysis will be conducted by the Biostatistics Core in close coordination with the Clinical Core.

Back to Top

Core 4: Biostatistics Core (Eric J. Bergstralh)

The Biostatistics Core provides statistical collaboration and data management support for each of the SPORE projects, the developmental projects, and the Cores. Each of the projects presented in this application reflects input from members of the Biostatistics Core on study design and analysis plan. The Biostatistics Core provides statistical support across many different fields, including statistical genetics, epidemiological studies, basic sciences including gene array, and clinical trials. This comprehensive nature of the Biostatistics Core assures each SPORE investigator access to statistical expertise that includes collaborative development of study designs and analysis plans, state of the art data analysis and interpretation, data management resources, and abstract and manuscript preparation. The Biostatistics Core also provides a mechanism for the management and integration of both existing and newly collected data through consistent and compatible data handling. Areas of support include database development, data form development and processing, quality control, data collection and entry, and data archiving. This Core complements and assists the efforts of other Cores such as the Clinical and Biospecimen Cores by providing data management expertise and experience with tissue registries such as the Radical Prostatectomy database. The Biostatistics Core builds upon the innovative and time-tested procedures and systems developed by one of the largest statistical groups in the country whose members have collaborated on more than 10,000 clinical and basic science research studies since 1966.

Back to Top

Core 5: Patient Advocate Core (Donald D. Layton, Jr., M.D.)

The overall aims of this Prostate Cancer Advocate Core are to 1) engage researchers and advocates in dialogue that will contribute patient insights to the research programs of the SPORE and 2) to provide information about prostate cancer and prostate cancer research to patients and the community. This is a newly established core.

Meeting these goals means involving advocates in discussion with researchers about the benefits and relevance of their research to patients and on the contribution that will result from a successful completion of their work. The advocates will participate in clinical trial protocol development and consent form reviews for SPORE projects to provide the viewpoint of the patient and enhance the comprehensibility and acceptability of the documents. The advocates will assist in accrual for clinical trials. They will also participate in research proposal reviews to provide a patient/consumer point-of-view.

The community-based aim will focus on persons who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer, their supporting family members, at-risk familial extensions of the patient, and members-at-large of the community. There is both a lack of knowledge and misinformation about prostate cancer among these persons. The work of the advocates will include going into the community to provide information about prostate cancer and its detection and treatment, while providing information about SPORE research and clinical trials, and providing patients and their families with a broad program of education through the established support group. This work is intended to encourage early screening testing, demonstrate access to information resources, and increase awareness of treatment options and clinical trials. This kind of information can contribute directly to earlier diagnosis and treatment and to a higher rate of successful outcomes and patient satisfaction. Mayo Prostate SPORE advocates are now significantly involved with prostate advocates from other Prostate SPOREs and with advocates from other Mayo SPOREs. The prostate advocates also participate with other organizations related to the Mayo Comprehensive Cancer Center. The interests of present and especially those of future prostate cancer patients will be enhanced by the addition of this core to the Mayo Prostate SPORE.

Back to Top