Pathology Core
The Pathology Core has been developed to provide advanced pathology research services across AKU for translational researchers.
Location
Imaging Suite
BSL-2 Laboratory, First Floor
Juma Building
Aga Khan University, Stadium Road
Karachi, Pakistan
Access
The facilities are accessible to AKU users for research purposes only. Rates may apply for certain services.
Publications Policy
For publications that include data generated from the Pathology Core, it is mandatory to share the mansuscript with the relevant teams to ensure accurate reporting and interpretation of data.
Human Biomaterials Resource Centre
The centre supports cancer-related research. HBRC activities and services include collecting and banking freshly frozen tumor and normal tissues from excess surgical material and from biopsy, providing fresh tumor tissue for viable cell studies, processing and banking serum specimens from cancer patients, maintaining a tissue database with links to clinic-pathological data, providing histological staining and pathological review, coordinating patient consent and ensuring regulatory compliance.
Services
Collecting and banking freshly frozen tumor and normal tissues from excess surgical material and from biopsy
Providing fresh tumor tissue for viable cell studies
Processing and banking serum specimens from cancer patients
Maintaining a tissue database with links to clinic-pathological data
Providing histological staining and pathological review
Coordinating patient consent and
Ensuring regulatory compliance.
For queries and appointments:
Dr Anwar Siddiqui, Director
Learn more about human tissue banks:
Global directory of biobanks, tissue banks and biorepositories
Tissure Micro-array
TMA provides an economical and efficient way to analyse an array of
samples placed on a single slide. First inrtoduced in the late 1980s to
replace the conventional one-slide one-section approach, the technique
has been refined and advanced to allow hundreds of samples to be
analysed simultaeneously.
Services
- Construction of standard and custom TMA.
- Slide preparation (Sectioning of TMA block).
- Staining (Routine staining: H&E).
- Immunohistochemistry, for both routine and novel markers.
- Digital imaging using Virtual Microscope.
- Consultation.
For queries and appointments
Sadia Habib, Research Associate
Learn more about TMA and its applications in research:
Laser Capture Micro-Dissection
LCM is a highly-advanced technique that allows identification and isolation of pure cell populations from complex tissue mixtures. Cell integrity is nearly always preserved. Once samples have been obtained, researchers can carry out downstream techniques on the selected cells for RNA, DNA and proteomics analyses.
The University is the only institute in Pakistan to offer this facility to translational researchers. Non-AKU researchers can avail this facility at a fee-for-service basis.
Services
For queries and appointments, contact:
Sana Ayaz, Research Coordinator
Learn more about LCM and its applications in research:
