Michigan Legacy Tissue Program

Home Page Our Team For Medical Professionals For Patients Contact Information
  • Rohit Mehra, MD
    Professor, Pathology
    Director, Michigan Legacy Tissue Program

  • Zachary Reichert, MD
    Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine
    Co-Director, Michigan Legacy Tissue Program


    (734) 647-8903

Welcome to Michigan Legacy Tissue Program (MLTP)

We are indebted to the patient and their families for supporting cancer research through the Michigan Legacy Tissue Program.

Mission Statement

In 1996, Dr. Arul M. Chinnaiyan and Dr. Kenneth J. Pienta started this program with the goals of advancing medicine and benefiting patients.  We strive to achieve those goals today.   


Spirit of the Program

Molecular study of metastatic cancers is difficult because most patients with widely disseminated disease never undergo tumor resection. There is a need for high-quality tumor samples from patients with advanced cancers. Rapid autopsies are performed within 3 hours of death to allow:

  • Documentation of distribution of metastases
  • Characterization of tumors phenotypically
  • Harvesting of fresh/frozen tumor and normal control tissues suitable for molecular examination
  • Establishment of cell lines /organoids
  • Answers to other specific research questions

 

The Michigan Legacy

The Michigan Legacy Tissue Program (MLTP) is dedicated to the patients and their families for their unconditional contribution to further the cause of medicine and to advance cutting-edge cancer research. Donor tissues are investigated by diverse platforms including next-generation sequencing and utilized to develop and validate new diagnostic and therapeutic markers in diverse malignancies. This program facilitates clinical translation of emerging molecular advances in an efficient, accurate and expeditious manner. Above all, even after death, patients and their families can make a lasting impact in the lives of future patients, giving others a better chance at life by participating in groundbreaking clinical cancer research.