What is a Biobank?
A Biobank is a service that collects biological samples, such as tissue and blood.
The Illawarra Shoalhaven Cancer Biobank collects:
- Tissue, blood, stool and fluids such as urine, CSF, bile fluid, and/or throat mucosa swab samples from patients diagnosed with cancer.
- Patient information, for example, your name, age and gender.
- Some details about the patient’s medical history.
What is the purpose of the Illawarra Shoalhaven Cancer Biobank?
“Banking” is storing of tissue, blood, stool and fluids such as urine, CSF, bile fluid, and/or throat mucosa swab samples and/or health information for future research studies. A “bank”, like this Illawarra Shoalhaven Cancer Biobank, is a place where biological samples and related health information is stored. It provides researchers much-needed samples for vital research into the prevention, early detection, diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
Why is the Illawarra Shoalhaven Cancer Biobank important?
The Illawarra Shoalhaven Cancer Biobank is important because we hope the research you assist with could ultimately help future generations of Australians survive and beat cancer.
ISLHD has been involved in biobanking since 2014 as part of the CONCERT Translational Cancer Research Centre (TCRC)., This TCRC was funded by NSW Cancer Institute NSW until June 2021.
The Illawarra Shoalhaven Cancer Biobank was established in 2022 to ensure biobanking facilities continue to be available to Illawarra Shoalhaven clinicians and researchers. This project is led by A/Prof. Daniel Brungs.
This Illawarra Shoalhaven Cancer Biobank was created by research clinicians within the Illawarra Cancer Care Centre and is operated in close collaboration with research partners at University of Wollongong. The primary mission of the biobank is to collect samples which facilitate cancer research projects by local clinicians and their research partners.
The Illawarra Shoalhaven Cancer Biobank is kindly funded by the Radiation Oncology and Medical Oncology Trust funds. The Illawarra Shoalhaven Cancer Biobank acknowledges the generous donation of funding from the Illawarra Cancer Carers for essential equipment that makes the biobank operations possible.
This project has Human Research Ethics Committee approval: 2021/ETH12278.
Contact us
For further information regarding the Biobank, please contact the Oncology Biobank Manager on 4222 5200 or email ISLHD-IllawarraShoalhavenCancerBiobank@health.nsw.gov.au.
