The Human Developmental Biology Resource

• Research type

  Research Tissue Bank

• IRAS ID

  250012

• Research summary

  The Human Developmental Biology Resource

• REC name

  North East - Newcastle & North Tyneside 1 Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  18/NE/0290

• Date of REC Opinion

  10 Dec 2018

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion

• Data collection arrangements

  Embryonic and fetal material will be collected from consenting women undergoing surgical and medical termination of pregnancy between 4 and 22 weeks of pregnancy from a number of sites. Anonymised samples will be transferred to two Human Tissue Authority licensed centres (Institute of Child Health UCL) and Institute of Genetic Medicine Newcastle University) which make up the Human Developmental Biology Resource).

  Women who are eligible to participate in the study will be approached by a member of the research team after admission to the ward/unit for a termination of pregnancy. The research nurse/midwife or research technician, who will have undertaken formal informed consent training, will not be involved in the scientific aspects of the study. Eligible women will be given a verbal explanation about the project by the research team member and an Information Sheet and Consent Form.

• Research programme

  Understanding gene function is currently a major research priority. Determining the expression of important genes during the embryonic/fetal phases of human development is critical if we are to understand gene function. While animal models provide a useful starting point to map where specific genes are expressed, some genes are only expressed in humans and patterns of expression of some genes vary substantially between species. The HDBR provides human embryonic and fetal material to scientists to study the expression of important human genes with the aim of understanding the role of specific genes in human congenital anomalies.

• Storage license

  12534

• RTBTitle

  The Human Developmental Biology Resource

• Establishment organisation

  Newcastle University

• Establishment organisation address

  The Medical School

  Framlington Place

  Newcastle upon Tyne

  NE24HH