Oxford Musculoskeletal Biobank
Research type
Research Tissue Bank
IRAS ID
146631
Contact name
Gareth Bicknell
Contact email
Research summary
Oxford Musculoskeletal Biobank
REC name
South Central - Oxford C Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
09/H0606/11+5
Date of REC Opinion
5 Mar 2014
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion
Data collection arrangements
The Oxford Musculoskeletal Biobank (OMB) is a resource of blood, tissue, and prosthetic implant samples donated by patients for use in medical research (primarily musculoskeletal). The Biobank provides a simple, efficient way to collect and store samples, historic data, and follow-up data according to regulatory requirements, and it ensures fair access to all. Consent is broad and enduring, and collection of samples and data occurs during pre-operative appointments, operative procedures, and post-operative follow-up. Patients are able to view which projects they have helped through a website link.
OMB aims to provide a gold-standard biobanking service trusted by donors and researchers alike by:
- Coordinating the collection and storage of human samples for musculoskeletal research
- Providing a quality framework within which research groups may operate
- Acting as a 'safe haven' for the collection and storage of human samples and data
- Acting as an 'honest broker' for the fair distribution of samples and data
- Facilitating and streamlining access to high quality samples in accordance with ethical and regulatory standards
- Establishing research biobanking as a routine part of healthcare provision
- Enabling increased knowledge and understanding of disease and disease progress to improve patient treatment and outcomesResearch programme
Investigating the causes of disease, damage and degeneration in musculoskeletal cells and tissues. - Examining bone marrow micro-environments on stem cells, bone-seeking cancers and tumours. - Developing assays to determine the roles of growth factors, hypoxia, angiogenesis, matrix attachment and cytokine response signalling pathways in musculoskeletal disease and repair. - Using assays to understand response to therapy in the same. - Establishing novel cell culture methods. - Establishing methods to discriminate structure-function relationships based on mechanical testing and biochemical composition. - Developing and validating 3-dimensional models and assays of explanted tissue for study of mechanically-loaded musculoskeletal cells, grafts and implants. - Developing and validating models to predict responses to novel treatments. - Investigating evidence/mechanisms of age- and disease-relevant epigenetic modifications in musculoskeletal tissue. - Analysing tissue for disease-causing somatic mutations that are tissue-specific or chimeric and not expressed in blood. - Developing non-invasive measuring tools to assess mechanical properties and early damage/repair markers to target preventative strategies more appropriately, and to assess responses/side-effects of novel treatments rapidly. - Pharmacologically monitor drugs or therapeutic agents in early-phase trials. - Providing the mechanistic information to apply in trials of new procedures or agents, to improve patient selection and effective therapeutic targeting. - Studying the natural history of treated and untreated musculoskeletal conditions and develop assessment tools to predict outcome based on clinical data, biomarkers and imaging markers. - Developing novel diagnostic tools using bio-specimens.
RTBTitle
Oxford Musculoskeletal Biobank
Establishment organisation
Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology & Muskuloskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford
Establishment organisation address
Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre
Windmill Road
Headington, Oxford
OX3 7HE