The Oxford Radcliffe Biobank (ORB), by providing access to general pathology biosamples, is a central and key component of the support infrastructure for biomedical research.
The ORB provides a variety of essential research support services that save time, effort and money and increase scientific collaboration through fair access to samples. The investment of the public in donating samples to the biobank reflects the understanding of the huge potential importance of this resource to future generations of patients and researchers. To support the provision of samples for research studies contributing to increasing the knowledge and understanding of disease, with the intention of improving diagnosis and treatment, and ultimately patient care. Since 2009, over 600 applications for access to biobank samples and / or histopathology services have been processed.
HeLEX provides ethical guidance and advice to ORB on the following issues:
- Consent for tissue collection and processing through a centralised facility.
- Meeting the requirements of the Human Tissue Authority licence for prospective and existing collections.
- Regulatory issues associated with a wide portfolio of research, including identifying novel biomarkers of disease, designing new treatments, and facilitating the conduct of clinical trials.
- Compliance with Research Tissue Bank ethical approval.