George E. Sandusky, DVM, PhD, MS

Bio

Dr. George Sandusky Professor, Dept Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, IU School of Medicine finished DVM at The Ohio State University in 1971, completed pathology residency and received his doctorate in pathology at Louisiana State University in 1981. Dr. Sandusky is recognized for his leadership and technical contributions that have impacted programs targeting cancer and cardiovascular disease in the Indiana University Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine has broad knowledge in anatomic pathology and in tissue banking procedures and quality assurance focused on collection, processing, storage, and qc of cancer specimens and the normal adjacent tissue since the IU tissue bank inception in 1996. Through the years he has worked on all types of issues relating to informed consent, collection, storage, tissue requests, quality control issues, and database issues.

Dr. Sandusky serves as the Director and PI for the IU Simon Cancer Center Tissue bank which has a very large, well annotated, high quality tissue bank with very high quality samples collected (Sandusky et al 2006, Sandusky et al, 2009, Tarvin and Sandusky 2014).

Dr. Sandusky has mentored and taught approximately 125 undergraduate, graduate and medical students over the past 25 years in several different fall, spring, summer and yearlong internship programs requiring a completed poster and / or oral presentation. There have been approximately 25 poster presentations at the AACR during the past 10 years.

Dr. Sandusky’s lab has capabilities to analyze whole slide digital imaging for clinical and research cases as a service for both whole slide digital images as well as tissue microarrays. Historically, pathologists have hand read H&E or immunohistochemically-stained slides. With the advent of technology, we are now capable of using analysis software to quanitfy positive pixel readings to validate the hand score by a pathologist.

Additionally, the lab offers pathology reviews for the cases and utilizes virtual microscopy to view slides which allows the ability to pan, zoom, and explore the slide via a computer system.

The lab focuses on Aperio Whole Slide Digital Imaging and quantitative image analysis and has the capabilities to use Image Pro Plus for single field image analysis, Aperio positive pixel algorithms, Indica Halo algorithms, and quPath as well as Orbit Whole Slide Image Analysis. The lab has around five to eight undergraduate and graduate research assistants.

Key Publications

Fang Y, Wang L, Wan C, Sun Y, Van der Jeught K, Zhou Z, Dong T, So KM, Yu T, Li Y, Eyvani H, Colter AB, Dong E, Cao S, Wang J, Schneider BP, Sandusky GE, Liu Y, Zhang C, Lu X, Zhang X. MAL2 drives immune evasion in breast cancer by suppressing tumor antigen presentation. J Clin Invest. 2021 Jan 4;131(1):e140837. doi: 10.1172/JCI140837. PMID: 32990678; PMCID: PMC7773365.

Marino N, German R, Rao X, Simpson E, Liu S, Wan J, Liu Y, Sandusky G, Jacobsen M, Stoval M, Cao S, Storniolo AMV. Upregulation of lipid metabolism genes in the breast prior to cancer diagnosis. NPJ Breast Cancer. 2020 Oct 6;6:50. doi: 10.1038/s41523-020-00191-8. PMID: 33083529; PMCID: PMC7538898.

Albany C, Fazal Z, Singh R, Bikorimana E, Adra N, Hanna NH, Einhorn LH, Perkins SM, Sandusky GE, Christensen BC, Keer H, Fang F, Nephew KP, Spinella MJ. A phase 1 study of combined guadecitabine and cisplatin in platinum refractory germ cell cancer. Cancer Med. 2021 Jan;10(1):156-163. doi: 10.1002/cam4.3583. Epub 2020 Nov 1. PMID: 33135391.

Titles & Appointments

Senior Research Professor of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine
Professor, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine
Professor, Pathology, Purdue University
Director of the IU Simon Cancer Center Tissue Bank
Associate Director of the Indiana CTSI Specimen Storage Facility (SSF)
Co-Director, INBrain (Indiana Center for Biomarker Research in Neuropsychiatry)

Education

1980 PhD Louisiana State University

1978 MS The Ohio State University

1971 DVM The Ohio State University

1967 BS Ohio University
Research

Immunohistochemistry, Molecular Pathology, Cancer Research, Digital Whole Slide Image Analysis
Professional Organizations

American Association Cancer Research

American College Veterinary Pathologists

American Heart Association

American Veterinary Medical Association

FIS Board of Visitors

Forensic & Investigative Sciences Program

Indiana Association of Pathologists (IAP)

Indiana Medical History Museum

Society of Toxicologic Pathology

US Canadian Academy of Pathology
Board Certifications

American Board of Pathology - Pathology - Anatomic*
Awards

Org: Distinguished Alumni Award - Ohio State University 2016
Desc: Distinguished Alumni
Scope: National
Date:

Org: IUPUI Honors Program
Desc: Research Fellow
Scope: University
Date:

Org: AHA
Desc: Research Service Award
Scope: Regional
Date:

Org: AVMA
Desc: Research Scholar
Scope: Regional
Date:

Org: Phi Zeta
Desc: Honorary Member
Scope: National
Date:

Org: Ohio State
Desc: Distinguished Alumni Award
Scope: State
Date:

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