Arden Tissue Bank, based at University Hospital Coventry, aims to provide researchers with access to a diverse range of high quality human tissue, whilst complying with legislation & regulation.
Arden Tissue Bank has access to routine surgical tissues that have been taken for diagnosis. Once diagnosis has been established, this tissue is normally discarded or destroyed. Arden Tissue Bank can, by application, sample tissues surplus to diagnosis and make them available for ethically approved projects.
Arden Tissue Bank managment comittee acts as the access comittee. It comprises of patient and public lay members, UHCW governance, clinicians and local university senior academics.
All applicants are asked for for a lay summary, this lay summary is reviewed by the lay members of the committee. If they do not understand the proposed research then the applicant will be asked to rewrite the lay summary - before the application is accepted.
To help quality assure all of our services Arden Tissue Bank is now working towards achieving the new International biobanking standard: ISO 20387.
In addition Arden Tissue Bank is one of the first biobanks in England to adopt the UKCRC Tissue Directory Transparency Principles.
We felt this was important to give donors, relatives and researchers assurance that samples are handled appropriately, respectfully and in an open, transparent way. Details of the principles can be found here.
In cases where it is not possible to transplant donated organs and tissues into recipients, and the donor has consented for use of their tissues for research, Arden Tissue Bank attempt to place the samples with ethically approved research studies.
Examples of tissues available include:
Applicants are advised to consider their requirements for cold ischaemic time, and the range for collection. Data available to researchers on transplant patients is more limited due to NHSBT data restrictions.
All samples will be supplied in a link anonymised way, with where possible an agreed data set against each sample. Data will be aggregated as required from electronic patient records, patient notes and pathology reports.
Arden Tissue Bank hosts the Coventry & Warwickshire node of the Tommys Reproductive Health Biobank, and acts as the co-ordinating centre for five other reproductive health tissue collections.
More details can be found on the Tommys National Reproductive Health Biobank Website
All samples within Arden Tissue Bank are stored in a secure manner and in compliance with the Human Tissue Act 2004.
This is the legal framework that exists within the UK to monitor the storage and use of human cells and tissues for research.
For more details on the Human Tissue Act please see the HTA website
Human tissue in research plays a vital role in developing a deeper understanding of human disease processes and their underlying mechanisms. Human Tissues can be can be used to predict the likely effectiveness of potential new therapies, identify new targets for therapies, and to identify some of the possible unwanted side effects of therapies.
The BBC news story below highlights the importance of human tissues to patient safety. The tests described have been developed utilising tissues supplied by Arden Tissue Bank
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-28437849/coventry-scientists-develop-new-heart-and-cancer-drugs-test
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IMPORTANT INFORMATION ON BLOOD TESTING DUE TO COVID-19
Shielding Patients in very high risk for COVID Group
All people who have been identified as very high risk (requiring shielding) for COVID are in the process of being contacted by their clinician regarding their ongoing care. If you require a blood test whilst shielding as part of your care, appointment details including when and where your blood test will be carried out will be sent to you via a text message from SwiftQueue who manage our blood test bookings.
If you have regular blood tests and have been asked to have these, please ensure you have blood forms at home available; if you haven’t please contact your specialty to have some sent to you in advance of your blood tests.
Older People and Vulnerable Adults
People who are in the groups identified by the government as higher risk e.g are over 70 or receive a yearly flu jab, but are not in the very high risk (requiring shielding) group, can attend our normal blood test clinics. The blood test clinics and waiting areas have been adapted so that social distancing can be maintained.
Please check the locations on the map below.
Click on the map for information about phlebotomy clinics in Coventry. You can book an appointment online at the locations in red.
Please book an appointment before attending for a blood test. Click on the ‘Book Online’ button above. Booking an appointment helps patients, their carers and family members to plan their hospital visit better, helping to reduce clinic waiting times and enabling patients to be seen much more quickly.
Location: Outpatients Department, on the ground floor. Opening hours: 8am-4.45pm, Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays).
Children under 16 years old will need to book online here.
Please book an appointment before attending for a blood test, click on the ‘Book Online’ button above. Patients from Rugby and the surrounding areas are able to access the Friends Blood Taking Unit at the Hospital of St Cross.
Referrals for blood tests can be from GP's, practice nurses or from hospital consultants. Patients are also able to leave other samples, such as urine, which have been collected at home, at the hospital's Pathology Reception.
Location: Near Brookfield House, just off North Road - map here. Opening hours: The blood taking clinic sessions for adults and children are listed below:
Monday -Friday 7am-4:45pm Appointment only
Wednesday Evening 5pm-7pm Suspended due to COVID
Saturday Morning 7am-10pm Suspended due to COVID
April 2020 NEW - This Clinic is now by appointment. Please book an appointment before attending for a blood test. Click on the ‘Book Online’ button above.
Address: Stoney Stanton Road, Coventry CV1 4FS Location: Access is via the main doors, the Phlebotomy team are in Area A. Opening hours: Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays). 8am–4.45pm
Glucose Tolerance Test (GTT)
Specialist Tests - There are a small number of specialist tests where blood needs to be taken on a hospital site as the sample must be transferred to the laboratory rapidly for the test to be undertaken. Click here for a list of these specialist tests and to find out more.