Hospital ‘biobank’ to store body parts - Royal Free set to store up to 1 million cryogenic samples
Published: 27 January 2011
by TOM FOOT
A GIANT Frankenstein-style body parts freezer is set to be created at the Royal Free Hospital.
Up to one million human samples will be cryogenically frozen for future scientific research at the Hampstead hospital.
Through the joint venture with University College London (UCL), some of the donated organs will be used by scientists from the UK Centre for Research and Medical Innovation (UKCRMI).
Patients will need to give their consent for samples before they are moved into the “biobank”, a Royal Free spokeswoman said.
The hospital has already begun collecting samples for new cancer projects including research on neuroendocrine tumours, hepatopancreatobiliary (HPB) conditions and diseases of the immune system.
Professor Ian Jacobs, dean of the UCL faculty of biomedical sciences, said: “Biobanking is becoming increasingly important in 21st-century medical research and ensuring the robust and accurate management of these samples is vital.”
The hospital spokeswoman said patient data will be password-protected and only released for ethically approved research.
The biobank is licensed by the Human Tissue Authority and affiliated with the Confederation of Cancer Biobanks.