Doha:The Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) has announced the launch of an advanced phase of the Human Tissue Biobank in collaboration with the Qatar Precision Health Institute.
According to Qatar News Agency, this new phase builds upon previous achievements and expands the Biobank's capabilities to include the storage and management of freshly removed biological tissue. This enhancement supports clinical care and biomedical research, following the successful establishment of regulatory and operational frameworks in the initial phase.
Human tissue biobanks are vital in modern healthcare, providing high-quality biological specimens and associated data within advanced governance frameworks. These resources facilitate disease diagnosis, personalized treatments, and biomarker discovery, ultimately improving healthcare quality and patient outcomes.
Dr. Einas Al Kuwari, Chair of the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at HMC, highlighted the successful storage and management of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue specimens in the first phase, which supported numerous research applications. The Biobank currently holds over 700,000 paraffin blocks and 2.6 million tissue slides, including at least 250,000 immunohistochemistry slides.
The new phase expands the Biobank's capabilities to manage freshly resected tissue, supporting advanced diagnostics and precision medicine. The Biobank will store tissue based on clinical needs, enabling advanced molecular testing and next-generation sequencing, enhancing treatment decisions and access to advanced diagnostic solutions.
On the research front, the Biobank offers advanced storage capabilities for freshly resected tissue specimens for approved research projects. This provides researchers with a national platform to support biomedical and translational research, with all studies undergoing ethical and regulatory review through HMC's Medical Research Center.
The Biobank maintains high ethical and regulatory standards regarding informed consent, data privacy, and specimen integrity. It complements HMC's existing research governance framework without replacing established ethical approval processes.
This advanced phase underscores the collaboration between HMC and QPHI in developing Qatar's national infrastructure for precision medicine and research. The expanded capabilities are expected to enhance diagnostic technologies and accelerate precision medicine solutions, strengthening Qatar's position in biomedical research and personalized healthcare.