Research

Publications

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Preclinical Core

Animal Model and Cell Isolation Core

The Animal Model and Cell Isolation Core provides centralized facilities and standardized protocols for in vivo models of acute and chronic ethanol exposure, as well as the use of in vitro primary cell cultures isolated from ethanol-exposed animals.

These services allow Northern Ohio Alcohol Center (NOAC) investigators, as well as investigators new to alcohol research, rapid access to the tissues and cells needed to test novel and innovative hypotheses without the delay of developing these techniques in individual laboratories.

We also provide access to our animal/cell models and biorepository as a national and international resource. 

For more information or to request a service, please contact us.

Services

Animal Model Core
Tissue and cellular samples from animals exposed to control and ethanol diets, as well as other models of acute and chronic liver diseas .

Cell Isolation Core
Hepatocytes, Kupffer cells and hepatic stellate cells isolated by Core personnel using in situ perfusion protocols.

Tissue Harvesting
The Animal Core routinely provides samples to individual investigators either on ice, fixed in formalin for histology, frozen in optimal cutting temperature compound for immunohistochemistry, flash frozen or freeze-clamped in liquid nitrogen for biochemical assays or stored in RNA later. Blood is processed to serum or plasma, as required, aliquoted, inventoried and stored appropriately until further analysis.  Additional tissue samples and fixation of tissues via thoracotomy are also available.

Phenotypic Characterization of Ethanol Exposure
Basic phenotyping measures including ALT/AST, triglyceride concentrations, Oil Red O, Sirius red staining, hydroxyproline concentration, blood ethanol and CYP2E1 expression or activity.

Zebra Fish Facility
Access to samples exposed to ethanol.

Biorepository
We maintain an extensive biorepository of samples on experiments conducted since 2006. Please contact us to request tissue.

Request Services

Please contact us to request more information on services. Users will be sent a form to describe the proposed study design, which will be reviewed by the Core Director.

User will supply animals necessary for experiments and cover the per diem housing costs and charges for diet, drugs and sample collection materials based on the study design. 

If the user requests isolated cells, users will provide an account number for a charge-back for each hepatocyte/Kupffer cell isolation, to cover the cost of biochemicals, gradients and cell culture media required for isolation of purified cell populations. 

If there are conflicting/competing requests for access to services, priority will be given to Research Components and Pilot Projects directly supported by the P50.  Next priority will be to NIAAA funded NOAC members and last priority to investigators outside of the NOAC.

Clinical Core

The availability of biological samples from individuals with alcoholic liver disease (ALD), as well as samples from appropriate liver disease controls, heavy drinking, yet healthy controls and non-drinking healthy controls, is an essential first step in the translation of basic research advances to the clinic.

The Clinical Core of the NOAC can provide NOAC investigators to access to de-identified biological samples (tissue biopsy, plasma/serum, urine, DNA and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with different stages of alcohol-associated liver disease, non-alcohol associated liver disease as well as healthy control and heavy drinking subjects.

Samples are limited and approval for use must be obtained from the NOAC executive committee after review of investigator’s proposal.  Please contact Laura Nagy ([email protected]) to apply for use of our Clinical Core.

De-identified clinical/biological samples are available from the following biorepositories:

1. CoPath Database/Biospecimen Repository:
   The CoPath Database/Biospecimen Repository at the Cleveland Clinic allows investigators access to archived biopsy materials initially used for diagnostic purposes.  Repository also has access to clinical information related to the case history of each patient, as well as follow-up clinical data on response to therapy.
2. NOAC/CCF biorepository: 
   The NOAC biorepository includes samples of serum, plasma and DNA from patients with different stages of ALD collected since 2012.  Currently, the biorepository contains samples from approximately 120 patients.  Relevant clinical information for each patient is available.  Samples are also available from about 20 subjects who are heavy drinkers without ALD, recruited from the Cleveland Clinic alcohol use disorder treatment clinic.