Nervous system tissue and blood collections for Research

• Research type

  Research Tissue Bank

• IRAS ID

  186041

• Research summary

  Walton Research Tissue Bank (WRTB)

• REC name

  Wales REC 4

• REC reference

  15/WA/0385

• Date of REC Opinion

  27 Nov 2015

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion

• Data collection arrangements

  The Walton research tissue bank (WRTB) collects and stores samples surplus to diagnostic requirements from neurosurgery patients and healthy volunteers subject to fully informed consent. The samples collected are fresh frozen tissues, paraffin embedded samples, bloods including serum and plasma matched with patient demographics and clinical history. All the records are held in secure database in the Walton Centre NHS Trust IT network.

  Samples are anonymised by tissue bank number before being released for research projects. All the research project applications are peer reviewed by senior clinicians, neuropathologists and researcher members of the WRTB management committee before release to researchers. Tissue is also available to researchers outside WRTB and Brain tumour northwest network (BTNW) but additional external REC ethical approval will be requested.

• Research programme

  The samples/data from WRTB will be used by local Liverpool neurooncology researchers, members of Brain Tumour North West (BTNW) and other national or international researchers. WRTB research is aimed at improving understanding of the origins, biology, diagnosis and treatment of brain tumours and thus benefiting translational studies and future patients. We are members of BTNW which is among the largest UK based neurooncology collaborative research groups, with clinicians and scientists researching basic science, cell biology, tumour genetics, in vivo imaging, identifying blood and tissue markers and treatment of brain tumours. BTNW comprises researchers from Royal Preston Hospital, University of Central Lancashire, University of Liverpool, Clatterbridge Cancer Centre (CCC), The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust (WCFT), Manchester Metropolitan University and University of Wolverhampton. WRTB and BTNW closely collaborate to facilitate multicentre research which is particularly important in brain tumours which have a low incidence compared with the other common cancers.

• Storage license

  12030

• RTBTitle

  Walton Research Tissue Bank (WRTB)

• Establishment organisation

  The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust

• Establishment organisation address

  Neuropathology, Buxton Laboratories

  Walton Centre Main building, 2nd Floor,

  Lower Lane, Liverpool

  L9 7BB