Breast Cancer Now Biobank

← Back to tissue banks

The Breast Cancer Now Biobank is the UK’s largest unique collection of high-quality breast tissue, breast cells and blood samples from breast cancer patients. These samples are available to researchers to give them the ability to study real breast cancer samples from different angles. The Biobank also offers corresponding clinical data for patients as well as whole slide images.

The Breast Cancer Now Biobank is a vital resource that allows scientists access to the tissue and primary cells they need to carry out world-class research.

The Barts Cancer Institute Breast Biobank is a collecting site of the Breast Cancer Now Biobank, who provide samples primarily to the researchers of the Barts Cancer Institute and other institutes within Queen Mary University of London.

For more information, visit the Breast Cancer Now website.

Services and support

We provide a variety of samples from patients with breast cancer, other breast conditions and normal controls. Samples are but are not limited to:

• FFPE unstained sections
• Frozen tissue
• Frozen tissue unstained sections
• H&E stained slides (including WSIs)
• Fresh tissue
• Whole blood
• Blood derivatives e.g. plasma, serum, buffy coat
• Urine
• Faeces

Primary cell samples e.g. fibroblasts, normal epithelial cells, normal myoepithelial cells, explants

Further information on tissue samples and cell bank samples can be found on the Breast Cancer Now website.

The Biobanks are here to support you where we can. The Biobank staff have a range of knowledge and expertise that we are always willing to share.

Back to top ↑

Sample access

To access samples and/or data from the Barts Cancer Institute Breast Biobank, please contact the shared inbox or submit an online application.

To access samples and/or data from the Breast Cancer Now Biobank, please submit an expression of interest (EOI).

Back to top ↑

Acknowledgements

Any presentations or publications on work using samples from either the Barts Cancer Institute Breast Biobank or Breast Cancer Now Biobank should acknowledge the biobank. Wording for publication acknowledgements is below.

“The authors wish to acknowledge the role of the Breast Cancer Now Biobank in collecting and making available the samples used in the generation of this publication, and all the patients who donated the samples.”

 If you use the Breast Cancer Now Biobank Bioinformatics Portal in your work, please cite:

Gadaleta E, Pirrò S, Dayem Ullah AZ, Marzec J, Chelala C. BCNB Bioinformatics: the next evolutionary step in the bioinformatics of breast cancer tissue banking. Nucleic Acids Res. 2018 Jan 4;46(D1):D1055-D1061. doi: 10.1093/nar/gkx913. PMID: 29136180

Back to top ↑

Prices

For Barts Cancer Institute Breast Biobank cost recovery, please contact the shared inbox.

Cost recovery for Breast Cancer Now Biobank can be found on the Breast Cancer Now website:

Back to top ↑

Publications

Before applying for samples, researchers are encouraged to explore our three domains within our Breast Cancer Now Biobank Research Environment: Research Projects and Publications, the Analytics Hub and our Cohort Browser. All domains can be accessed here.

If you use the Breast Cancer Now Biobank Bioinformatics Portal in your work, please cite:

Gadaleta E, Pirrò S, Dayem Ullah AZ, Marzec J, Chelala C. BCNB Bioinformatics: the next evolutionary step in the bioinformatics of breast cancer tissue banking. Nucleic Acids Res. 2018 Jan 4;46(D1):D1055-D1061. doi: 10.1093/nar/gkx913. PMID: 29136180

Back to top ↑