Oxford Vaccine Centre Biobank Renewal 2026

• Research type

  Research Tissue Bank

• IRAS ID

  369120

• Research summary

  Oxford Vaccine Centre Biobank

• REC name

  Wales REC 4

• REC reference

  26/WA/0184

• Date of REC Opinion

  7 Jul 2026

• REC opinion

  Favourable Opinion

• Data collection arrangements

  All Participants of clinical trials and studies at Oxford Vaccine Centre (OVC) will be eligible to take part in the OVC Biobank. If participants (or their parents/guardians for paediatric studies) consent, then their biological samples (e.g.
  serum, plasma, saliva, swabs, whole blood, genetic material [DNA and/or RNA]) leftover after the clinical trial will be stored in OVC Biobank for future use. No extra samples will be taken.

  Data collected during the clinical trial, such as age, sex, and immunisation history, will be included in the Biobank in a de-identified format. External investigators will
  also be permitted to deposit samples. Samples will be stored at locations registered under a Human Tissue Authority licence and will be managed by staff from OVC.

• Research programme

  The Oxford Vaccine Centre conducts a large number of studies into immunisation and infectious disease, enrolling many hundreds of participants per year from across the country. The biological samples obtained in the course of these studies provide an opportunity to create a ‘Biobank’ of stored biological samples to facilitate further research including immunisation, immunity and infectious diseases. We collate serum samples to provide insights into areas relevant to infectious disease and immunisation such as vaccine responses, antibody kinetics, population immunity and potentially immune mediated adverse events after vaccination. Biological material containing human cells (including, but not limited to, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), gastrointestinal biopsy samples, throat swabs, stool samples and fine needle aspirates of lymph nodes) is collected in studies conducted by the Oxford Vaccine Group. Storage and subsequent analysis of these samples will allow further research into areas including cellular and mucosal immune responses and the impact of the microbiome on immune responses. Previous studies investigating how genetic influences vaccines responses have explored a limited number of candidate genes and have not been able to account for the degree of heritability inferred by twin studies. Many genes are likely to play a small but significant part in determining responses to vaccination. We intend to use contemporary genotyping techniques to help elucidate these complex vaccine-host interactions. Elucidating the genetic determinants of vaccine induced responses may expand our understanding of vaccine-host interactions and dawn an era of ‘predictive vaccinology’. The Oxford Vaccine Centre Biobank would act as a secure and regulatory compliant storage facility for these samples, allowing investigators to continue to conduct further research in immunisation, immunity and infectious diseases.

• Storage license

  12217

• RTBTitle

  Oxford Vaccine Centre Biobank

• Establishment organisation

  Oxford Vaccine Centre, University of Oxford

• Establishment organisation address

  Institute of Developmental & Regenerative Medicine (IDRM)

  Roosevelt Drive

  Churchill Hospital, Oxford

  OX3 7TY