Biomedical Research Core Facilities
Fall 2022 Newsletter
The Perelman School of Medicine is proud to support our integral research core facilities and research teams.
In this issue:

  • Announcements
  • Cores Day 2022 - Penn Core Facility Presentations Now Available
  • Event Funding Available for PSOM Core Facilities
  • Research Resource Identifiers (RRIDs) & Core Marketplace Listings
  • iLab Feature Update - Cancellation Notifications
  • Upcoming Events
  • Annual Northeast Regional Laboratory Staff & Core Directors Meeting - 10/12-10/14/22
  • Minisymposium on Analytical Ultracentrifugation - 10/18/22
  • Seminar and Grant Competition for Visium Spatial Transcriptomics - 11/18/22
  • Core Facilities Spotlight
  • Molecular Pathology & Imaging Core Facility
  • OCRC Tumor BioTrust
  • Small Animal Imaging Core Facility
  • Stem Cell Xenograft Core Facility
  • Transgenic & Chimeric Mouse Core Facility
Announcements: Cores Day 2022 - Penn Core Facility Presentations Now Available
We are pleased to announce Penn 2022 Cores Day presentations are now publicly available via the link below.


This link may also be accessed through the Core Facilities Webpage.

We encourage you to utilize these presentations as an ongoing resource – sharing them with any who may benefit from a brief overview of your facility, such as new or potential users.

If you were unable to participate in Cores Day 2022, and would like to provide a core facility presentation, please contact April Weakley ([email protected]) for assistance.

For information on Wistar core facility presentations, please contact Mark Drinker ([email protected]) or Kathleen Magner ([email protected]). 

For information on CHOP core facility presentations, please contact: Lori Delspechio-Irvin ([email protected]).

We look forward to seeing you next year!
Announcements: Event Funding Available for PSOM Core Facilities
In support of our vital research core facility community, the Biomedical Research Core Facilities Committee is pleased to offer funding for events, such as workshops, seminars, and symposia.

Please note that event funds are available to tier 1 and tier 2 (PSOM) core facilities, and that requests will be accepted on a rolling basis. Our ability to support event funding requests is contingent upon funding.

Please contact April Weakley ([email protected]) with any questions or concerns.
Announcements: Core Facility Acknowledgements - Research Resource Identifiers (RRIDs) & Core Marketplace Listings
Research Resource Identifier (RRID) numbers and Core Marketplace Listings and now available on the PSOM Core Facilities Webpage. We have also added RRID information to the Core Facilities Finder, and to the “About” tab of each core facility that uses iLab.

As a friendly reminder, PSOM recently partnered with the ABRF on this important initiative, which assigns a unique identifier, or RRID, to each core facility. Benefits of having an RRID include ease of citation and indexing through PubMed and Google Scholar. It is our hope that by tracking this information we will be able to publicize our cores to the broader community and track their scientific impact more rigorously.

Below please find several links you may find useful while exploring the Core Marketplace.


We encourage you to consider adding RRID information to your website and email signature.

Please contact April Weakley ([email protected]) with any questions or concerns.
Announcements: iLab Feature Update - Cancellation Notifications
iLab recently added the ability for core facility managers to notify users of cancellations on high-demand equipment calendars.

Each calendar will now include a setting allowing users to subscribe to cancellation emails. Qualified users can then reserve apreviously canceled time slot. Detailed instructions and screenshots can be found here.

Please feel free to contact the iLab support team at [email protected] with any questions or concerns.
Upcoming Events: Annual Northeast Regional Laboratory Staff & Core Directors Meeting - 10/12-10/14/22
It’s not to late to register for the Northeast Regional Laboratory Scientists and Core Directors (NERLSCD) meeting!

Held from 10/12-10/14, in Rochester New York, this event is a wonderful opportunity to meet with colleagues, build your network, and learn about the latest trends in various disciplines. Please click here for the event program, and here to register.

ABRF members receive a discounted registration rate of $125. Please contact April Weakley ([email protected]) if you would like to join PSOM’s Institutional ABRF membership at no cost to you.
Upcoming Events: Minisymposium on Analytical Ultracentrifugation - 10/18/22
Dear Colleagues,
 
We are pleased to announce the 2022 Minisymposium on Analytical Ultracentrifugation here at Penn, which will take place on Tuesday, October 18th, 2022.
 
 
The modern applications of analytical ultracentrifugation will be highlighted with a morning data analysis workshop and an afternoon symposium. The event is free and open to all faculty, postdocs, graduate students, and staff; Lunch is included.
 
Hope to see you there!

Kushol Gupta

Kushol Gupta, Ph.D. (he/him)
Research Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics
Perelman School of Medicine | The University of Pennsylvania | 901C Stellar-Chance Building 
Upcoming Events: Seminar and Grant Competition for Visium Spatial Transcriptomics - 11/18/22
The Molecular Pathology and Imaging Core Facility, in conjunction with 10x Genomics, will be hosting a virtual seminar and grant competition for Visium Spatial Transcriptomics on November 18 from 1-2pm.
 
During this seminar, details about the grant competition will be announced, including submission requirements and prizes, be sure to attend if you're interested!
 
Please contact MPIC Technical Director Kate Bennett ([email protected]) for registration information.
The Molecular Pathology and Imaging Core now has a Leica Aperio Slide Scanner available for use! It can scan slides with up to 40x magnification in brightfield or IF. Leica offers free software to store, review, edit, and annotate your slide images.   

Please contact MPIC’s Technical Director, Kate Bennett ([email protected]), with any questions or to set up training. 
The Ovarian Cancer Research Center Tumor BioTrust Collection collects fresh cancer tissue specimens, as well as plasma, serum, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), blood and other biological samples from various cancer cases with a focus on gynecologic cancers. We also house formalin fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) samples including tissue microarray (TMA) construction and immunohistochemistry. Samples collected through the Penn Legacy Tissue Program (PLTP) (e.g., rapid autopsy) are also available and a quote can be provided upon request.

We will also work with investigators to prospectively collect specific samples to support their research within Penn research community as well as in outside academic institutions. We will be working with biotech/bio-pharma companies if it is within the confines of a collaboration.
We are offering the following sample types:

  • Fresh Tumor Tissue
  • Frozen Tumor Tissue
  • Enzyme Digested Tumor Cells
  • Serum
  • Plasma
  • Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMC)
  • OCT
  • Formalin Fixed Paraffin Embedded (FFPE)
  • Tissue Microarray (TMA)
  • Samples from rapid autopsies

More info about the core and pricing can be found at: https://www.med.upenn.edu/OCRCBioTrust/
Representative Publications:
 
Intra-Tumoral Nerve-Tracing in a Novel Syngeneic Model of High-Grade Serous Ovarian Carcinoma.
Barr JL, Kruse A, Restaino AC, Tulina N, Stuckelberger S, Vermeer SJ, Williamson CS, Vermeer DW, Madeo M, Stamp J, Bell M, Morgan M, Yoon J-Y, Mitchell MA, Budina A, Omran DK, Schwartz LE, Drapkin R, Vermeer PD. Cells. 2021; 10(12):3491.

Systematic analysis of CD39, CD103, CD137, and PD-1 as biomarkers for naturally occurring tumor antigen-specific TILs.
Eiva MA, Omran DK, Chacon JA, Powell DJ Jr.
Eur J Immunol. 2021 Sep 10. doi: 10.1002/eji.202149329. Epub ahead of print.

CAR-T cell-mediated depletion of immunosuppressive tumor-associated macrophages promotes endogenous antitumor immunity and augments adoptive immunotherapy.
Rodriguez-Garcia A, Lynn RC, Poussin M, Eiva MA, Shaw LC, O'Connor RS, Minutolo NG, Casado-Medrano V, Lopez G, Matsuyama T, Powell DJ Jr.
Nat Commun. 2021 Feb 9;12(1):877. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-20893-2.
 
Inhibition of relaxin autocrine signaling confers therapeutic vulnerability in ovarian cancer.
Burston HE, Kent OA, Communal L, Udaskin ML, Sun RX, Brown KR, Jung E, Francis KE, La Rose J, Lowitz JK, Drapkin R, Mes-Masson AM, Rottapel R.
J Clin Invest. 2021 Feb 9:142677. doi: 10.1172/JCI142677.
 
Combining PARP with ATR inhibition overcomes PARP inhibitor and platinum resistance in ovarian cancer models.
Kim H, Xu H, George E, Hallberg D, Kumar S, Jagannathan V, Medvedev S, Kinose Y, Devins K, Verma P, Ly K, Wang Y, Greenberg RA, Schwartz L, Johnson N, Scharpf RB, Mills GB, Zhang R, Velculescu VE, Brown EJ, Simpkins F.
Nat Commun. 2020 Jul 24;11(1):3726. doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-17127-2.
 
PARP Theranostic Auger Emitters Are Cytotoxic in BRCA Mutant Ovarian Cancer and Viable Tumors from Ovarian Cancer Patients Enable Ex-Vivo Screening of Tumor Response. Molecules.
Riad A, Gitto SB, Lee H, Winters HD, Martorano PM, Hsieh CJ, Xu K, Omran DK, Powell DJ Jr, Mach RH, Makvandi M.
2020 Dec 19;25(24):6029. doi: 10.3390/molecules25246029.
 
An autologous humanized patient-derived-xenograft platform to evaluate immunotherapy in ovarian cancer
Sarah B. Gitto, Hyoung Kim, Stavros Rafail, Dalia K. Omran, Sergey Medvedev, Yasuto Kinose, Alba Rodriguez-Garcia, Ahron J. Flowers, Haineng Xu, Lauren E. Schwartz, Daniel J. Powell Jr., Fiona Simpkins
Gynecologic Oncology 156 (2020) 222e232.
 
CAR T Cells Targeting MISIIR for the Treatment of Ovarian Cancer and Other Gynecologic Malignancies
Alba Rodriguez-Garcia, Prannda Sharma, Mathilde Poussin, Alina C. Boesteanu, Nicholas G. Minutolo, Sarah B. Gitto, Dalia K. Omran, Matthew K. Robinson, Gregory P. Adams, Fiona Simpkins, and Daniel J. Powell, Jr.
Molecular Therapy (2019), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ymthe.2019.11.028.
 
Imaging Collagen Alterations in STICs and High Grade Ovarian Cancers in the Fallopian Tubes by Second Harmonic Generation Microscopy
Eric C. Rentchler, Kristal L. Gant, Ronny Drapkin, Manish Patankar and Paul J. Campagnola,*
Cancers 2019, 11, 1805; doi:10.3390/cancers11111805.
 
CD105 Is Expressed in Ovarian Cancer Precursor Lesions and Is Required for Metastasis to the Ovary
Shoumei Bai, Wanhong Zhu, Lan Coffman, Anda Vlad, Lauren E. Schwartz, Esther Elishaev, Ronny Drapkin and Ronald J Buckanovich
Cancers 2019, 11, 1710; doi:10.3390/cancers11111710.
 
Innervation of cervical carcinoma is mediated by cancer-derived exosomes
Christopher T. Lucido, Emily Wynja, Marianna Madeoa, Caitlin S.Williamson, Lauren E. Schwartz, Brittney A. Imblumc, Ronny Drapkin, Paola D. Vermeer
Gynecol Oncol. 2019 Jul;154(1):228-235.
Contact Us
Ovarian Cancer Research Center Tumor BioTrust Collection
Ehay Jung, Technical Director
Smilow CTR 08-191A
3400 Civic Center Blvd
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Phone: 215-746-5137
By Ching Hui Huang, PhD, Technical Director of the Optical Bioluminescence Core.
The Small Animal Imaging Facility (SAIF) combines a comprehensive suite of imaging modalities to assist investigators with a wide range of imaging based experimental approaches. In addition, the SAIF investigates new technologies with passion to provide top-notch instrumentation to assist investigators to accelerate success in innovation. This year, we are excited to announce the addition of two new optical imaging scanners: 1) the NIR II preclinical imager, PhotonEtc IR VIVO and 2) a dual-modality preclinical imager, InSyTe FLECT/CT in our facility.    
IR VIVO by Photon Etc.
IR VIVO is an infrared multispectral imager for small animal studies with high spectral and temporal resolution and good penetration depth. IR VIVO takes advantage of the SWIR imaging with an ultra-low noise InGaAs camera to provide optimized contrast resolution and sensitivity. This system is equipped with 4 laser sources with the emission spectral range from 850-1620nm. With the second NIR optical window, the attenuation coefficient of biological components decreases further, thus reducing the opacity of tissue and the amount of light that scatters within the tissue.
InSyTe FLECT/CT by TriFoil Imaging    
The InSyTe FLECT/CT is a dual modality imager that combines the fluorescence imaging and the microCT imaging. Fluorescence data is acquired in 2D or 3D (360° complete angle) modes and the system is compatible with NIR labeled probes and the fluorescence dyes. Combined with the inline X-ray CT, the system provides 3D tomographic imaging with anatomical reference and co-registration with FLECT. This system performs noninvasive and radioisotope-free imaging for preclinical research.
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The Stem Cell and Xenograft Core (SCXC) has launched its new website: https://www.med.upenn.edu/scxc/. The new website now provides users with valuable information on services, rates, how to register with iLab or go through the in vivo training and more.
 
The SCXC is a comprehensive resource laboratory and was established at the Perelman School of Medicine in 2008. The mission of the Core is to provide Investigators with a high-quality, cost-effective, and comprehensive resource to promote basic and translational research in the areas of cancer biology, infectious disease, immunotherapy, stem cell biology, and regenerative medicine. We offer services centered around 2 components: (1) An extensive repository of live and fully annotated cells from adult patients with hematologic malignancies (AML, ALL, CLL, MPN, MDS), and hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells from healthy donors. (2) A full array of in vivo services and xenograft models (Leukemia PDXs, humanized immune system), in a dedicated BSL-2 barrier space equipped with optical imaging. The SCXC remains unique amongst peer institutions with regards to the scopes of research, its scale, and its range of services.

Some recent publications, which the SCXC members and/or services/samples contributed to:
 
  • Subversion of Serotonin-Receptor Signaling in Osteoblasts by Kynurenine drives Acute Myeloid Leukemia, Marta Galan-Diez, Florence Borot, Abdullah Mahmood, et al. Cancer Discovery 2022.
  • Decade-long Leukaemia Remissions with Persistence of CD4+ CAR T cells, Melenhorst, J.J., Chen, G.M., Wang, M. et al. Decade-long leukaemia remissions with persistence of CD4+CAR T cells. Nature 2022.
  • GCN2 inhibition sensitizes arginine-deprived hepatocellular carcinoma cells to senolytic treatment. Missiaen R, Anderson NM, et al. Cell Metabolism 2022.
  • KAT6A and ENL Form an Epigenetic Transcriptional Control Module to Drive Critical Leukemogenic Gene-Expression Programs, Fangxue Yan, Jinyang Li, Jelena Milosevic, et al. Cancer Discovery 2022.
  • Glucagon Signaling via Supraphysiologic GCGR can Reduce Cell Viability without Stimulating Gluconeogenic Gene Expression in Liver Cancer Cells, Godfrey, J., Riscal, R., Skuli, N. et al. Cancer Metabolism 2022.

Last but not least, the SCXC would also like to welcome its new Clinical Research Assistant, Akmal Salimov. Welcome Akmal! 
Please, be advised that the TCMF is implementing a 15% rate increase on all new projects as of September 1, 2022. The standard rate of a transgenic project will increase from $1630 to $1875, which is still far below the cost at most peer institutions. This is the first rate increase in 5 years, and is predicated on a cost analysis model that allows the facility to remain budget neutral over the next three years based on current financial assumptions.

You can find the complete list of “Charges for Services” at the following link:
 
Thank you,
Jean Richa, PhD 
Technical Director
Transgenic & Chimeric Mouse Core Facility
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