About the MCRC Biobank
Established in 2008, the MCRC Biobank has transformed the way biological samples are collected and supplied for ground-breaking cancer research projects within the Manchester Cancer Research Centre and beyond.
The MCRC Biobank brings together organised tissue, blood and other sample collection across four NHS Trusts under one centralised infrastructure and governance framework, to facilitate the provision of samples of highest quality as efficiently as possible.
Regulated under The Christie NHS Foundation Trust Human Tissue Authority Licence for Research, the MCRC Biobank maintains the highest standards of regulatory compliance with respect to patient consent, secure sample storage and sample tractability whilst a robust Access Policy ensures that samples are released for high quality scientific research. Working to standardised SOPs developed by local experts, the MCRC Biobank not only routinely collects and banks samples for future use, but also routinely prospectively collects samples to meet the needs of Biobank applicants. The MCRC Biobank has evolved a flexible biobanking model to ensure the Biobank can meet the needs to researchers both now and in future.
MCRC Biobank Governance
The MCRC Biobank head office is located within The Christie on the Wilmslow Road site. This includes the laboratory facilities, -80°C freezers and the FFPE block store as well as offices for the management and informatics function of the Biobank and the Christie sample collection staff. The MCRC Biobank also has liquid nitrogen tanks based in the Oglesby Cancer Research Building opposite the main hospital site and works in partnership with the CRUK Manchester Institute.
To ensure the MCRC Biobank can be a tool for all areas of cancer research, samples need to be collected from as many cancer disease groups as possible. To target these different cancer groups, the MCRC Biobank collects samples from four collaborating Trusts across the region. These are:
- The Christie NHS Foundation Trust
- Northern Care Alliance (formerly Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust)
- Manchester University Foundation Trust
- Stockport NHS Foundation Trust
At most sites, sample collection is primarily focussed on patients undergoing surgery where surplus tissue can be collected in addition to matched blood and other fluid samples, such as urine or other fluids. However, as The Christie NHS Foundation is a tertiary cancer centre, sample collection here also incorporates serial sample collection from patients on active treatments as well as a focus on more rare tumour types.
Meet the Biobank team
Jane Rogan
Biobank Business Manager
Sharzad Harrap
Biobank Coordinator
Michelle Greenhalgh
Biobank Quality and Laboratory Manager
Elwyn Shing
Biobank Informatics Manager
Basia Hunt
Human Tissue Coordinator
Sarah McAdam
Human Tissue Coordinator
Rebecca Davey
Biobank Informatics Officer
Angela Leek
Senior Biobank Technician
Rachael Waddington
Biobank Technician
Jack Davies-Hodgkinson
Biobank Technician
Nicola Totton
Biobank Technician
Emma Addison
Biobank Technician
Kate Murray
Biobank Technician
Sarah Barker-Mills
Senior Biobank Technician
Iram Rashid
Biobank Technician
Chloe Thomson
Biobank Technician
Luke Crozier
Biobank Technician
Rhian Hughes
Biobank Technician
Shannon Youd
Biobank Technician
Levi Clarke-Brown
Biobank Technician
Emily Inskip
Biobank Laboratory Practitioner
Sarah Curtis
Biobank Admin Assistant
Accessing the MCRC Biobank
Information for Patients
Human Tissue Governance
Contact the MCRC Biobank
