Integrating Biobanking into an NHS hospital

Project Duration

April 2013 - October 2014

Funder

British Academy/Leverhulme

Aims

A biobank is a repository of biological specimens, such as cells, genetic material or blood, combined with data about the donors of those specimens, stored for the purposes of medical research. Nottingham Health Sciences Biobank (NHSB) is unique in that it is part of an NHS hospital. Biobanks raise ethical issues including consent and governance, being part of the NHS makes these particularly complex. 

The project will study how NHSB was set up, and how these issues were dealt with, by interviewing the doctors, scientists and NHS managers who established it.

Methods

Qualitative interviews.

Stage of Development

Data collection is underway.