title: TRARESA: a tissue microarray-based hospital system for biomarker validation and discovery.
abstract: Formalin fixed and paraffin embedded tissue (FFPE) collections in pathology departments are the largest resource for retrospective biomedical research studies. Based on the literature analysis of FFPE related research, as well as our own technical validation, we present the Translational Research Arrays (TRARESA), a tissue microarray centred, hospital based, translational research conceptual framework for both validation and/or discovery of novel biomarkers. TRARESA incorporates the analysis of protein, DNA and RNA in the same samples, correlating with clinical and pathological parameters from each case, and allowing (a) the confirmation of new biomarkers, disease hypotheses and drug targets, and (b) the postulation of novel hypotheses on disease mechanisms and drug targets based on known biomarkers. While presenting TRARESA, we illustrate the use of such a comprehensive approach. The conceptualisation of the role of FFPE-based studies in translational research allows the utilisation of this commodity, and adds to the hypothesis-generating armamentarium of existing high-throughput technologies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, National University Hospital, Singapore.
authors.forename: Kakoli
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Das
authors.forename: Mohd Feroz
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Mohd Omar
authors.forename: Chee Wee
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Ong
authors.forename: Suhaimi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bin Abdul Rashid
authors.forename: Bee Keow
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Peh
authors.forename: Thomas Choudary
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Putti
authors.forename: Puay Hoon
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Kee Seng
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Chia
authors.forename: Ming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Teh
authors.forename: Nilesh
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.forename: Richie
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Soong
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Salto-Tellez
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis*; D004247:DNA / Q000032:analysis; D005557:Formaldehyde; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D016612:Paraffin Embedding; D012313:RNA / Q000032:analysis; D046888:Tissue Array Analysis / Q000379:methods*; D016707:Tissue Fixation; D054928:Validation Studies as Topic
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D005557:Formaldehyde; D012313:RNA; D004247:DNA