The Catalan Tumour Bank Network launches a new corporate identity and website

The  Xarxa de Bancs de Tumor de Catalunya  (XBTC) has renewed its corporate identity and website to project a more dynamic and local network in the biomedicine and health ecosystem. 

Tumour banks are resources for research centres where samples of tumour tissue from cancer patients are stored under optimal conditions.  Generally, this biological material is obtained from surgical interventions and biopsies.  These samples are available for researchers to allow them to carry out their research projects. 

The Catalan Tumour Bank Network was created in 2007 as an initiative of the Generalitat de Catalunya Cancer Master Plan. Coordinated by IDIBAPS, this network includes tumour banks from eleven Catalan hospitals with the aim of offering a large collection of samples from all pathologies to the scientific community for biomedical research.

Spain's largest pediatric tumour bank is in Sant Joan de Déu

At present, the SJD Barcelona Children's Hospital – IRSJD tumour bank contains over 4,200 tumour samples. Aside from these samples, which are frozen, the Biobank also has paraffin-embedded samples, as well as DNA and RNA samples. In addition, over 700 tumours have been criopreserved for later tumour cell cultures.  

The Pediatric Tumour Bank has provided more than 2,600 tumour samples both to the Hospital and to collaborating hospitals across the world for investigation projects on pediatric cancers. Every request goes through a rigorous process which complies with ethical and legal good research practice requirements to ensure proper use of tissue samples.  

More than 4,000 pediatric tumour samples for research. SJD Barcelona Children’s Hospital.

Twelve institutions from Catalonia are part of the Tumor Bank Network

The hospitals that are part of the Tumor Bank Network in Catalonia are:

• Sant Joan de Déu Research Institute (IRSJD) – SJD Barcelona Children’s Hospital.
• Hospital Clínic Barcelona Research Foundation-August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute (FRCB-IDIBAPS), coordinator.
• Hospital de Tortosa Verge de la Cinta (HTVC).
• Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM)-Hospital del Mar.
• Joan XXIII University Hospital.
• Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL)-Bellvitge University Hospital.
• Girona Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGI)-Dr. Josep Trueta University Hospital.
• Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP)-Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital.
• Sant Pau Research Institute (IIB Sant Pau)-Hospital Santa Creu i Sant Pau.
• IRBLleida- Arnau de Vilanova University Hospital.
• Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIR)-Vall d'Hebron University Hospital.
• Parc Taulí University Hospital.

The new website is designed to be of use both to the scientific community of public institutions and industry- to whom the XBTC offers biological and tumour samples, and scientific and technical support- and to donors- who will find the information they need to collaborate and help future patients benefiting from the advances in medicine against cancer and other diseases.