Human Cardiac Tissue Bank

Director

Jason R. Becker, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine
Heart, Lung, Blood Vascular Medicine Institute
beckerj@pitt.edu

Mission

Acquire and distribute banked flash frozen/fixed human cardiac tissue specimens collected at time of cardiac transplantation (TX) or VAD placement to be used for biochemical/microscopic analyses.

Resources and Technical assistance

The Human Cardiac Tissue Bank acquires fresh human heart samples from consented adult heart failure patients (IRB Study 19020130) at the time of cardiac transplantation (TX) or ventricular device placement. Samples are recovered in the OR, transported in cold cardioplegic solution, and frozen and/or fixed in the lab within 15 minutes of recovery. Samples are suitable for microscopic and molecular characterizations.

Ramani et al, J Am Coll Cardiol. 2011, 58:2270–2278

Mora et al, unpublished

McTiernan et al, Circ Arrhythm Electrophysiol. 2021;14

Currently (2021), we have banked ~800 specimens (~450 TX / 345 VAD); ~90 paired VAD Core + TX; ~ 90 paired RV + LV. Patient ages average ~ 54, range 18-74. 20% of all cases are female, ~15% of all cases are self-identified African Americans, ~ 53% are from non-ischemic etiologies (sarcoid, amyloid, peri-partum, inherited dilated and/or hypertrophic, idiopathic cardiomyopathy, viral, chemotherapeutic agent-induced, etc.).
To date we have provided samples to over 20 laboratories and can assist your research with the selection of specimens appropriate to your study (etiology / demographics / time of collection).