Wales Cancer Bank

• Research type

  Research Tissue Bank

• IRAS ID

  212107

• Research summary

  Wales Cancer Bank

• REC name

  Wales REC 3

• REC reference

  16/WA/0256

• Date of REC Opinion

  9 Sep 2016

• REC opinion

  Favourable Opinion

• Data collection arrangements

  Tissue, blood and bodily fluid samples are being collected from patients in Wales with a suspected or confirmed cancer diagnosis. A variety of tumour types and formats is being stored to facilitate future research into cancer. Patients are asked to consent to allow WCB to bank any tissue that is surplus to diagnostic requirements and take a blood sample. Samples are stored in pathology departments in the patient’s hospital until samples are needed for processing or issue to researchers.

• Research programme

  Researchers involved in cancer research can apply to the bank to access samples or data. All samples and data are issued anonymously to researchers, so no patients can be individually identified. Researchers in academia, the NHS or for-profit companies\ncan apply wherever in the world they are based. Applications are scrutinised by expert reviewers to ensure samples are being well used. [COVID-19 amendment – 08/04/2020] The Wales Cancer Bank has been approached to ascertain availability of biosamples for use as control samples in COVID19 work. We do have samples available but our ethics approval is to issue samples for cancer related research. Clearly any developments in developing tests or treatment would benefit cancer patients as they are in a high risk group but as the work is not specifically cancer related, we seek REC approval to relax our stated criteria for COVID19 related research over the next 6-12 months. This will only make use of samples already collected and stored in the biobank so there will be no changes to the patient information sheet or consent form. Any request for samples will be scrutinised via the expedited review process used for pilot projects. The Sample Issue policy and relevant SOP have both been updated to include statements on supply of samples to Public Health Emergency projects and the related process. A registration form has been drafted to capture the details of the intended research that will allow project recording and sample traceability in the same manner as full applications.

• Storage license

  12107

• RTBTitle

  Wales Cancer Bank

• Establishment organisation

  Cardiff University

• Establishment organisation address

  7th Floor, McKenzie House

  Cardiff

  CF24 0DE