CHTN Pediatric Division at Nationwide Children’s Hospital

Nationwide Children’s Hospital hosts the Pediatric Division of the Cooperative Human Tissue Network (CHTN). The CHTN was established in 1987 by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to facilitate increased access to human tissue for research in the interest of accelerating the advancement of scientific discoveries in medical diagnoses and treatment. The CHTN works with each investigator to tailor the prospective procurement of the biospecimens necessary for that investigator’s research. The CHTN is not a biorepository; instead, it leverages a cooperative network of participating institutions across the United States to obtain remnant tissue from clinical workup. By operating as a network, the CHTN allows greater access to tissue for researchers. The CHTN Pediatric Division (pCHTN) is administrated by the Biopathology Center at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, a Center of Emphasis in the Abigail Wexner Research Institute.

The pCHTN serves researchers both internal and external to Nationwide Children’s. The pCHTN has access to remnant/exempt tissue from clinical procedures that take place at NCH. We monitor for procedures and patients that could generate the required biospecimens and we can also obtain tissue from the Anatomic Pathology clinical archives, giving us a large pool from which to obtain rare specimens. The pCHTN can help investigators ensure regulatory compliance during all phases of the tissue acquisition, including verifying that the patients have consented for their biospecimens to be used for research.

The pCHTN provides a variety of services to support discovery and innovation. Services available include but not limited to:

• Mononuclear cell isolation (buffy coat and Ficoll)
• Nucleic acid extractions (DNA and/or RNA or DNA/RNA co-extractions)
• Digital pathology and whole slide imaging

For more information including instructions on how to apply for specimens through the CHTN, please contact us at PCHTN@NationwideChildrens.org, or go to CHTN - Cooperative Human Tissue Network.