The Northern Ireland Biobank (NIB): 2026-2031

• Research type

  Research Tissue Bank

• IRAS ID

  367580

• Research summary

  The Northern Ireland Biobank: 2026-2031

• REC name

  HSC REC A

• REC reference

  26/NI/0004

• Date of REC Opinion

  25 Feb 2026

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion

• Data collection arrangements

  The Northern Ireland Biobank has two core ‘collection’ strategies. The first is a prospective collection of human samples (tissues, matched bloods and bodily fluids) which initially focused on cancers including the gastrointestinal tract, genitourinary tract, gynaecological tract, lung, breast and haematological malignancies. The prospective collections are mostly hypothesis led to support specific study requests. NIB have also been working with healthcare and academic partners to expand collections beyond cancer. Bespoke non-malignant cohorts have been collected underpinning existing strengths in Northern Ireland in respiratory medicine, macular degeneration, frailty, and endocrinology. The second collection is referred to as the NIB ‘retrospective’ collection. This collection avails of regulated access to archived samples held across Health and Social Care Trust (HSCT) laboratories for hypothesis led, ethically approved projects. Predominantly this is Formalin Fixed Paraffin Embedded (FFPE) tissue samples archived by HSC Cellular Pathology laboratories.

  Once collected, all samples are transferred from the Health and Social Care Trust under an appropriate Material Transfer Agreement to a secure, HTA compliant storage facility in the Future Medicines Institute (FMI), Johnston Cancer Research Centre (JCRC), Queen’s University Belfast (QUB). Samples are either stored long term under the QUB HTA Research Licence or released immediately to a researcher.
  

• Research programme

  The Northern Ireland Biobank (NIB) provides an ethical and governance framework for the collection and access of cancer tissue samples, supporting academic and industrial research locally and nationally. NIB has significantly improved the quality and impact of cancer research in Northern Ireland. With a shift from basic to translational research and a focus on stratified and personalised medicine, high-quality, well-characterised tissue samples are increasingly essential. NIB provides managed access to quality-assured biosamples linked to reliable clinical and pathological data, enabling biomarker discovery and validation studies for patient benefit. Research using these samples may include morphological studies, immunohistochemical analysis, and molecular analysis of nucleic acids. NIB does not release samples for sensitive studies, such as cellular or therapeutic cloning, in vivo stem cell use, reproductive research, or to screen individuals for specific inherited genetic disorders. By providing this infrastructure, NIB ensures that the wider scientific community has easier access to high-quality biosamples, supporting innovative research and the development of new diagnostics and therapies for future patients.

• Storage license

  12044

• RTBTitle

  The Northern Ireland Biobank: 2026-2031

• Establishment organisation

  Queen's University Belfast

• Establishment organisation address

  Research Governance, Ethics and Integrity

  Belfast

  BT7 1NN