Tayside Biorepository Awarded Accreditation

NHS Tayside and University of Dundee biorepository has been awarded accreditation following the successful review by Health Improvement Scotland.

Tayside Biorepository (TBR) is an established bio-resource that stores and makes available a large variety of matched normal and diseased tissues and is committed to facilitating medical research both for academic and commercial users.

NHS Tayside R&D Director Dr Jacob George said “The accreditation of the Tayside Biorepository is testament to the hard work and dedication of TBR manager, Sharon King, and her team. It will enable researchers from Tayside and beyond to access a high quality bio resource for research projects that will ultimately improve the quality of care we deliver to patients in the NHS”.

The staff of TBR are responsible for ensuring that quality standards developed by Health Improvement Scotland are put in place in order to provide an efficient system for applicants to request tissue samples but also to support clinical teams to provide a resource of human tissue from NHS patients for medical research.

The accreditation status awarded by Health Improvement Scotland for the period of August 2016-August 2019 provides assurances that Tayside Biorepository operate efficient and robust guidelines and protocols in areas of patient care and consent, tissue governance, security and quality of tissue samples. It also allows TBR to operate as part of the Scottish Biorepository Network (SBRN).

Funded by the Chief Scientist Office (CSO), an accredited Biorepository Network throughout Scotland will lead to standardised policies and better access to anonymised tissue and associated clinical data which will help to develop ideas from early stage medical research that could be applied into clinical practice.

Pictured above, left to right, TBR staff: Mairi Lennie, bio-technician; Dr Susan Bray, Scientist; Dr Sharon King, Manager; Sally Chalmers, research nurse.