The use of human tissues is a tightly regulated procedure and is an essential component of many aspects of medical research undertaken in Newcastle University. Such studies are only possible because of the generosity of patients and healthy volunteers in giving their consent for the use of their samples for research purposes.

Newcastle Biomedicine Biobank (NBB) holds collections of human tissues in compliance with the ethical and legal framework of the Human Tissue Act (HTA) of 2004. We also bank other human tissues that fall outside the Act and store them to the same standards. Samples from patients and healthy volunteers may be deposited with the Biobank for safe keeping and issued on request when required, removing the need for the individual researcher to register samples under the Human Tissue Authority Research Licence.

Our staff can provide expert advice on applications for ethical approval, and assist in establishing peer-review and governance oversight for generic biobanks.