Tissue Bank
WVU Medicine Orthopaedics’ Gabe Gemberling Tissue Bank
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A full circle story: the making of the Gabe Gemberling Tissue Bank
When it comes to moving medicine forward, Ryan Lacinski, MD/PhD candidate, is no stranger to making an impact.
In May 2018, the same period he was applying to the WVU School of Medicine, Lacinski learned his close friend, Gabe Gemberling, had been diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer.
Upon learning of his friend’s diagnosis, Lacinski began volunteering at WVU’s Department of Orthopaedics’ Research Lab and applied to the University’s MD/PhD program. It was there, according to Lacinski, where his spark for research first ignited. “My interest in Gabe’s diagnosis is what made me fall in love with research,” said Lacinski. “His diagnosis made me want to learn more about the disease and the advancements that were being made for its treatment.”
As his friend’s diagnosis provided direction to his training, he quickly learned the value of clinical patient samples for bench-to-bedside translational research.
“As a PhD student, I was fortunate enough to connect with individuals, including Dr. Kurt Weiss at the University of Pittsburgh (himself an osteosarcoma survivor), who had stored osteosarcoma patient specimens since 2010,” says Lacinski. “These samples were critical to my training and the basis of new discoveries in this disease.”
Under the direction of WVU Medicine orthopaedic oncologist, Brock Lindsey, MD, Lacinski studied novel immunotherapeutics for the treatment of osteosarcoma and completed his PhD training in the Cancer Cell Biology Program. It was after this time that the Gabe Gemberling WVU Tissue Bank—a collection center dedicated to fueling the next generation of students and researchers — was born.
“The Gabe Gemberling WVU Tissue Bank was dedicated in his name as his perseverance and fight against this deadly disease inspired me to partake in its research,” said Lacinski. “Through the Tissue Bank, the WVU Department of Orthopaedics, with the help of Dr. Grant McChesney and clinical research staff, is actively collecting and storing patient tumor, plasma, and white blood cell specimens. These samples will allow researchers here and abroad to ask, and hopefully answer, questions regarding these diseases for decades to come.”
Today, Gabe remains an osteosarcoma survivor and advocate for cancer research. As a superintendent at Turner Construction, Gemberling recently helped direct the development and building of the new cancer center at The Ohio State University — a full circle moment for Gabe and his family. He is actively involved in supporting cancer research through the organization Pelotonia, helping raise nearly $8,000 since his diagnosis.
Interested in supporting our cause?
Visit here and select “Gabe Gemberling Department of Orthopaedics Tissue Bank Fund – 2W1954” to make a donation.
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