The IMPART Biobank is a biorepository of tissue samples for research purposes. Our mission is to serve the global scientific community by providing high quality samples, data, and services that facilitate research in multidisciplinary teams of scientists and clinicians.
WHAT WE DO
The IMPART Biobank is a biospecimen sourcing and storage partner for researchers at Dalhousie University, with collaborations that extend worldwide. We collect, process, and store detailed, annotated human heart samples, serum, plasma, and whole blood & cells from volunteer participants undergoing cardiac surgery. We can also source other organs or tissues through our network of Biobank collaborations upon request.
The IMPART Biobank is located at Dalhousie University, Faculty of Medicine, Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. We are in close proximity to the Saint John Regional Hospital, that facilitates quick transport of samples from the operating room to the laboratory for efficient and timely processing and storage of human tissue samples.
WHAT WE OFFER
The Biobank offers tissue and blood samples from patients with cardiac disease, as well as healthy heart tissues collected from autopsies and donors. Our samples are processed to suit various downstream applications and are stored as fresh, frozen, or fixed. In addition, samples from the IMPART Biobank have complete clinical data collected from paper charts and electronic health records.
HOW IT WORKS
The Biobank obtains tissue samples through a process that begins with patients at the New Brunswick Heart Centre (NBHC). NBHC surgeons and physicians seek patient consent to collect samples and participate in research studies when they are admitted for cardiac surgery. Upon patient consent, medical history and surgical outcome data are recorded to support clinical and basic science research activities alike.
Patients who voluntarily participate in research studies have their blood and tissue samples collected during surgery and stored at the Biobank. Members of Cardiovascular Research New Brunswick (CVRNB) and IMPART may then request samples and associated clinical data for use in their research studies.
For more information on how to access Biobank samples, please reach out to saumil.shah@dal.ca or research@impart.team.
The IMPART Biobank is certified with the Canadian Tumour Repository Network (CTRnet).
The IMPART Biobank is supported by several key partners:
