• D. Wade Clapp, MD, Co-Core Director (Indiana University School of Medicine)

  • Kevin Shannon, MD, Co-Core Director (University of California, San Francisco)

  • Kun Huang, PhD, Co-Investigator and Overall Data Science Infrastructure (Indiana University School of Medicine)

The Administrative Core coordinates research within the SPORE and oversight by the program’s advisory boards. SPORE components include the three translational research projects summarized in the Overall as well as a Developmental Research Program (DRP), a Career Enhancement Program (CEP), and specialized core resources (Biospecimen/Pathology Core and Omics Core). Members of the External and Internal Advisory Boards are listed in Figure 1 (DHART SPORE Organization).

Figure 1. DHART SPORE Organization

Moreover, this core serves as the central point for coordinating the overall data integration and analysis of the DHART SPORE Programmatic efforts as shown in Figure 2 (Administrative Core, Data Integration and Management Plan: Translational Research Using Bioinformatics and Data Science Tools).

Figure 2. Administrative Core, Data Integration and Management Plan: Translational Research Using Bioinformatics and Data Science Tools

  • Yunlong Liu, PhD, Core Director (Indiana University School of Medicine)

  • Steve Angus, PhD, Co-Investigator (Indiana University School of Medicine)

The overall goal of the DHART Omics Core (Core B) is to provide state-of-the-art support for designing rigorous and reproducible experiments that utilize genome- and kinome-wide approaches, generating data, and performing integrated data analysis in collaboration with DHART SPORE investigators. The platforms provided by Core B are useful for interrogating focused research hypotheses and can also generate a snapshot of other pathways that could be intimately involved in previously unappreciated ways. Considering the high number of connections between the DHART researchers, “omics” experiments will both strengthen and expand collaborative research activities to increase our understanding of the NF1-associated biology as well as identify new therapeutic targets for NF1 mutant cancers.

  • Tatiana M. Foroud, PhD, Co-Core Director, Biospecimen (Indiana University School of Medicine)

  • Melike Pekmezci, MD, Co-Core Director, Pathology (University of California, San Francsico)

  • Scott Kogan, MD, Co-Core Director, Pathology (University of California, San Francisco)

  • Tejus A. Bale, MD, Co-Core Director, Pathology (MSKCC)

This Biospecimen/Pathology Core brings together a team of investigators with expertise in all relevant subspecialties of tumor diagnostics and pathologic analyses. This core collects, stores, and oversees the protocols for sharing blood and tissue samples to advance the goals of the DHART SPORE and related patient-focused research endeavors. Specifically, investigators in the core lead scientific programs related to biospecimen banking, genomics, molecular pathogenesis of sarcomas, peripheral and central nervous system tumors and leukemogenesis. The Biospecimen/Pathology Core plays an integral role within this SPORE program by: (1) curating the SPORE website to facilitate effective communication within the Program and with external investigators and stakeholders; (2) tracking and archiving all human and mouse samples generated by the SPORE projects and by the recipients of Developmental Program awards through the OMICS Core; and (3) providing expert pathological review of samples as requested by investigators. This core serves as a key resource across the projects and cores of the SPORE.