CELSPAC Biobank
The CELSPAC Biobank is an open-access infrastructure that collects, processes, stores, and subsequently, distributes various types of biological samples (e.g., cord blood, blood, milk, urine) derived from population, environmental, bio-monitoring, and clinical studies. The samples are used for basic scientific research and the development of new diagnostic methods. Presently, our infrastructure primarily handles biological material collected in the CELSPAC population studies. In combination with the survey data, these samples contain invaluable information, offering local as well as international researchers vast amounts of information.
A large portion of the blood and urine samples are automatically processed and subsequently stored in a fully automatic storage system, which reduces the risk of procedural errors. Individual aliquots can be stored for many years at temperatures of -25°C, -80°C, or -150 °C. Furthermore, the facility’s environment (e.g., humidity and temperature) is tightly monitored and controlled, and secondary refrigerant sources, backup systems requiring electrical energy for cooling samples, which ensures precision, repeatability, and prevention of sample contamination or degradation.
Maintaining the highest level of data protection is guaranteed by the laboratory information system (LAS), which manages a large number of aliquots. The laboratory information system was developed in cooperation with the Czech national node of the European Biobanks Infrastructure Network (BBMRI) in order to ensure its compatibility with European standards.
The CELSPAC Biobank provides analyses of biomarkers of clinical chemistry and immunology in serum, plasma, and urine along with the possibility of semi-automatic isolation of nucleic acids from whole blood or blood cells.
Services
Analysis and Equipment
- Standard operating Procedures (SOPs) for collection, manual processing and long-term storage of biological sample aliquots
- Standard operating Procedures (SOPs) for collection, automatic processing and long-term storage of blood and urine aliquots
- Processing and storage of biological material for research projects according to validated SOPs
- Additional analysis of samples from ongoing studies
- Implementation of a laboratory information system
- Urine, serum and plasma biomarker analysis
Training
We offer training in the following areas:
- Study planning and implementation, including biological sample collection, processing and storage
- Implementation of SOPs for the collection, processing, storage and distribution of various biological samples
- Data collection
Consulting
We provide expert advice on the services of the biobanking facility.
Access
Our epidemiological databases have been specifically designed to allow the sharing of data in order to promote multidisciplinary research aimed at factors that can affect human health. Research proposals are individually assessed and selected by the CELSPAC Executive Board based on their quality and feasibility. The services and conditions are based on the contract concluded between the Masaryk University Faculty of Science and the applicant institution.
Access is available to academic users and researchers, including representatives of the commercial sphere and industry. Academic users and researchers can access through the Open Access project. Application for access is made at: https://openaccess.recetox.cz/. Industrial users can directly contact coordinator of RECETOX REsearch Infrastructure RNDr. Petra Růžičková, Ph.D. (openaccess@recetox.muni.cz), who will answer questions about available capacities, expertise and other conditions of cooperation.
Ethics
The CELSPAC ethics committee is the advisory body for the CELSPAC Executive Board and as such assesses ethical and legal issues pertaining to the use of the epidemiological databases, as well as ethical and legal issues related to the establishment of new Research Projects.
Contact
For more information, contact:
