Newcastle Research Tissue Biobank
We collect samples for research purposes from patients presenting to NHS Foundation Trusts.
About
The Newcastle Research Tissue Biobank is a part of the Central Biobank facility, providing access to patient samples for diverse researchers in the life and medical sciences, both academic and external. We can provide access to our existing collections or facilitate the collection of relevant excess diagnostic samples from patients presenting to Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals Foundation Trust. Samples can be collected for research purposes from any patient over the age of 16 presenting to NHS Foundation Trusts using the REC approved Newcastle Biobank.
The Biobank has supported Newcastle researchers to undertake groundbreaking research for over 10 years, into everything from COVID-19 to childhood leukaemia, by accessing precious human samples and ensuring their full and appropriate use - see our Case Studies below and Outputs page here.
To find out more about our existing collections or make an enquiry about a new project, please email biobanktissuerequests@newcastle.ac.uk to discuss your proposed work.
Application process
Whether you’re applying to use existing collections or obtain new samples, the process to apply is simple and straightforward, although waiting times may vary dependent on how many applications the Biobank receives and how quickly the administration is completed.
Please see the diagram to the right for an overview of the application process.
The Newcastle Research Tissue Biobank (NRTB) collects samples under a generic ethics framework for future unspecified research. This means that the NRTB is able to collect and store patient samples without the need for a specific project with Research Ethics Committee approval and release these samples to researchers when they apply to use them. The samples remain under the custodianship of the Biobank and can only be used for the intended project.
Once the application process is complete, arrangements can be made to transfer or collect samples as necessary. The Central Biobank can also offer storage and processing facilities alongside this tissue access service, to further support your work, with more information here.
Recent Case Studies
Read through some selected case studies here, or visit our Outputs page to find out more about the research we have supported.
Case Study 1: Blood spots on Guthrie cards, 2024
A large multinational team of researchers (Australia, Canada, France, Korea, Norway, Sweden, UK, USA) undertook a significant project to understand epigenetic changes in specific genes in paediatric acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. The team used a range of samples and techniques to do so, including using Guthrie cards from the Newcastle Biobank, allowing for the detection of potential methylation changes that were present at birth, prior to diagnosis. Published in the prestigious Molecular Cancer journal (IF 27.7), the study ‘provides proof-of-concept to detect at birth epigenetic precursors of paediatric pre-B ALL’, as well as evidence of this being reproducible using different technologies in different countries.
Case study 2: Response to COVID-19, 2020-2022
Newcastle was pivotal in the rapid response to Covid-19, with the first two patients involved in person-to-person transmission being transferred to the HCID High-Level Isolation Unit in the Newcastle upon Tyne Foundation Trust in January 2020. From this point, the quick thinking of clinicians and the generic ethics of the Biobank allowed for samples to be collected and banked with a view to completing future research which hadn’t yet been planned. This allowed for the preservation of crucial samples from the beginning of the pandemic which may have otherwise been lost.