Biobank Platform
The Biobank Platform is a technological platform supporting biomedical research that integrates the National DNA Bank, the Biobank, the IBSAL Brain Bank and the Castile and León Cancer Biobank Network.
National DNA Bank
The National DNA Bank (BNADN) collects, processes and stores biological samples (such as DNA and plasma) from healthy people and patients, including more than 30 different diseases. Its objective is to facilitate biomedical research by providing these samples and their associated information (health data, genealogical data, life habits) to scientific projects approved by external ethics and scientific committees.
Service portfolio:
- Transfer of biological samples, obtained from more than 41,700 different donors.
- Access to genetic data of reference individuals from the Spanish population.
- Storage and safekeeping of collections.
- Training courses.
- Processing of biological samples.
Biobank
The Biobank of the University Hospital of Salamanca is a research support unit that collects, processes and stores human biological specimens, together with the data associated with these samples, for use in research.
Service portfolio:
- Storage and distribution of samples from patients with pathologies included in the vertical areas of the IBSAL (solid tissues, cells in suspension, plasma/serum and other biological liquids) to the research groups that request them.
- Performing other advanced techniques on stored samples, such as making and freezing cell suspensions, DNA and RNA extraction, imprinting, making tissue matrices and image analysis.
INCYL Neurological Tissue Bank (BTN-INCYL)
The BTN-INCYL is a non-profit biobank that promotes and guarantees brain tissue donation in Castile and León and the surrounding area. It collects, processes and stores samples of nervous tissue (brain, cerebrospinal fluid and/or spinal cord), donated voluntarily and associated with clinical data, for post-mortem studies. The donated tissue is made available to researchers worldwide who request it and comply with the strict ethical, legal and scientific conditions established by current legislation.
- Housing and custody of nerve tissue samples in collection regime.
- Recruitment, processing and custody of nerve tissue samples in biobank regime.
- Surplus diagnostic and research project nerve tissue samples.
- Scientific collaboration in the development of joint research projects.
- Transfer of nerve tissue samples to research personnel.
Castile and León Oncology Disease Network Biobank (BEOCyL)
BEOCyL is a technological platform supporting cancer research, legally affiliated with the Cancer Research Foundation of the University of Salamanca.
It comprises six biobanks located in the Pathology Departments of six hospitals in Castile and León and managed by the Coordinating Node, located in the Pathology Unit of the Salamanca Cancer Research Centre. It is an integral part of the ISCIII Biobanks and Biomodels Platform, functionally attached to the Salamanca Biomedical Research Institute (IBSAL). In addition, since 2017, it has been integrated as an Associated Unit into the NUCLEUS Platform of the University of Salamanca.
Service portfolio:
- Storage and distribution of patient samples
- Coordination and management of requests for tissue sample transfers
- Quality control of stored samples
- Fine-tuning of histological and histochemical protocols
- Conducting immunohistochemistry studies
- Optimisation of antibodies for immunohistochemical studies
- Tissue microarray (TMA) preparation
- Microscopy services, especially with the Laser Microdissection Microscope
- Anatomopathological diagnosis