VIVO Biobank

• Research type

  Research Tissue Bank

• IRAS ID

  327843

• Research summary

  VIVO Biobank

• REC name

  East Midlands - Derby Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  23/EM/0130

• Date of REC Opinion

  10 Aug 2023

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion

• Data collection arrangements

  VIVO Biobank stores tissue samples which have been taken during routine diagnostic and treatment procedures and tests, from children, teenagers and young adults diagnosed with cancer.

  Liquid samples taken from patients being investigated for possible cancers are stored at UK Biocentre.

  Solid tumour samples are stored initially at the patients' hospitals and then transferred in batches to a Central Bank at Newcastle University for storage until they are released to researchers performing VIVO Biobank approved studies.

  Informed consent from patients and/or their parents/guardians will be obtained in writing by appropriately trained staff at the patients' hospitals during their diagnostic workup.

  VIVO Biobank will store routine clinical and demographic information about patients and their samples, obtained from the patients' healthcare teams. Sometimes additional information is required in order to maximise the usefulness of the samples donated; this may be obtained from the patients' hospitals, from clinical trials units or authorised disease registries, including Genomics England and national datasets.

  All samples used in research are anonymised and given unique codes so researchers use these samples without knowing the patients' personal details.

• Research programme

  Despite improvements in the survival of children, teenagers and young adults with cancer in recent years much remains to be done to help those with difficult to treat cancers and to help reduce the short- and long-term side effects of treatment. By working to understand how childhood cancers develop, doctors and scientists aim to improve the prevention, detection and treatment of these conditions. VIVO Biobank was set up to support these important studies by providing a Bank of patient samples voluntarily donated for use in research. All researchers from universities, hospitals, charitable organisations and companies, in the UK and abroad, may apply to use tissue samples and associated data from VIVO Biobank for their research projects. These projects include studies into the genetic and biochemical abnormalities driving cancers, ways in which specific cancer types may be detected in the body and new ways of treating cancer. Only research projects which meet stringent scientific standards can use banked samples, in order to ensure that this valuable resource is used as wisely as possible. The results of supported research are publicised so that new findings can help improve future clinical care

• Storage license

  12624

• RTBTitle

  VIVO Biobank

• Establishment organisation

  Newcastle University

• Establishment organisation address

  Newcastle upon Tyne

  NE1 7RU