Dr. Miguel Reyes-Mugica
We are pleased to announce that the tissue bank we have worked to coordinate for many years has been created, and is now receiving tissue samples. Our friends at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Drs. Miguel Reyes-Múgica and Cláudia Salgado have asked us to spread the word. Please read the announcement below and let us know if you have any questions, or contact Dr. Reyes directly.
Congenital Nevus Disorders Tissue Bank (COND-BANK)
The Division of Pediatric Pathology at the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh has ongoing research dedicated to understanding the biology of pediatric neurocristopathies in general and neurocutaneous melanocytic nevi in particular. Previous scientific findings suggest that congenital neurocristopathies may result from aberrations in neural crest cell growth, differentiation and/or migration. Due to the rarity of these disorders, understanding their etiology and biology will require assembling specimens from different institutions into a common repository. In an effort coordinated by Nevus Outreach Inc. and the Division of Pediatric Pathology at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, a comprehensive resource of biospecimens from patients with congenital nevi, GMN, NCM, congenital melanoma, or other neurocristopathies has been established.
The Congenital Nevus Disorders Tissue Bank (COND-BANK), procures, characterizes, preserves and distributes high quality biospecimens from patients with the above-mentioned disorders, to biomedical researchers from collaborating institutions. Biospecimens may include nevi and tumor tissue, cell lines from theses tissues, blood samples for DNA analysis, and other body fluids. Trained personnel will coordinate the procurement, retrieval, preservation, management and delivery of the specimens. All biosamples have the pathological diagnoses confirmed by an expert pathologist (MRM) and are accompanied by clinical and follow-up data. These banked biospecimens will be used by researchers to investigate the molecular mechanisms responsible for the onset of neurocristopathies and associated malignancies, and generate findings that will allow the development of strategies to treat and /or to prevent these disorders.
If you wish to donate tissue to the COND-BANK (the excess of tissue that will not be used by the pathologist for diagnostic purposes) before surgery, contact Dr. Miguel Reyes-Mugica at eat0@eau0eav0eaw0