LAUSR

interrogated for clinical or pathologic diagnosis. For molecular validation, FFPE placental blocks were compared to matched frozen samples from 20 patients with uncomplicated pregnancies undergoing scheduled cesarean delivery. RNA was compared on the measurements of RNA quality (RNA integrity numbers (RIN) using an Agilent Bioanalyzer), and quantitative Real-Time PCR (qPCR) expression of house-keeping genes. RESULTS: Our database has over 1000 pregnancies coded for clinical diagnosis and linked to stored FFPE blocks. FFPE samples in the database can now be used for targeted gene expression studies. RNA harvested from FFPE tissues is of sufficient quality for downstream applications (RIN of 2.0). Housekeeping genes (YWHAZ, CYC1, and TOP1) have been identified that are expressed in FFPE tissue at levels comparable to matched fresh frozen samples from the same placenta (n1⁄420, p>0.05, see graph). CONCLUSION: We have successfully established a platform for placental analysis studies that links clinicopathological data and molecular gene expression. This pipeline will increase our understanding of obstetrical diseases and their impact on child health, with the ultimate goal of identifying placental biomarkers of diseases.