The Biobank of the Hospital Clínico San Carlos (BHCSC) is a scientific research support unit within the Health Research Institute (Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria) of the Hospital Clínico San Carlos (IdISSC). The BHCSC is owned by the Hospital Clínico San Carlos (HCSC) and is functionally dependent on the Fundación para la Investigación Biomédica (FIB) of the Hospital Clínico San Carlos. It is located in the North Basement, Door F of the HCSC in Madrid. The BHSC is registered in the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) with the code B.0000725, is part of the Current AES 2020 within the Biobanks and Biomodels Platform and, in turn, is part of the National Biobanks Network.

The purpose of the BHCSC is to make available to the scientific community the biological samples and associated information necessary to carry out research studies under optimal conditions, respecting at all times the rights of users.

The BHCSC, under the direction of the Scientific Director, comprises the following sections:

1. A) OFFICE OF CENTRAL ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGEMENT (OGAC): Its function is data management, processing of applications, distribution and release of samples. All sample types are integrated into a single database.
2. B) TECHNICAL UNIT:

Solid sample bank (freezing and paraffin). It has space for storage and a sample processing laboratory (NCB2) with equipment for cutting, extraction of nucleic acids and their subsequent analysis. HCSC and BHCSC professionals collaborate in the collection of samples. BHCSC professionals are in charge of processing and quality analysis. The BHCSC works in coordination with the Pathology Anatomy Department (PD).

• Equipment:
• OFFICE OF CENTRAL ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGEMENT (OGAC):
  • Alarm management and temperature logging software
  • Printer
  • Scanner
  • Computers

• • TECHNICAL UNIT:
  • Storage room:
    • 8 Freezers at –80°C with CO₂ back-up
    • 2 Backup freezers at –80°C with CO₂ back-up
    • 4°C refrigerator
    • Vapour-phase nitrogen tank.
    • Temperature management and alarm system
  • NCB2 Laboratory:
    • Biological safety cabinet (NCB2)
    • Computer
    • Bar code scanner
    • Refrigerated centrifuge
    • Micropipettes
  • Shared laboratory:
    • Cryostat
    • Nanodrop Spectrophotometer
    • Tissue Microarray Instruments
    • Thermal cycler

The Biobank of the Hospital Clínico San Carlos is part of the National Biobank Network (RNBB). The RNBB is an initiative of the Instituto de Salud Carlos III whose objective is to provide high-level scientific, technical, and technological support to R&D&I projects in health sciences and technologies, as well as to promote innovation in health technologies, through the provision of human biological samples and associated data of excellent quality. It is made up of 39 institutions from all over Spain.

The HCSC Biobank is part of the Current AES 2020 within the Biobanks and Biomodels Platform. Our aim is to make available to the research community the possibility of preclinical and in vivo validation of the biopsied samples they need in their projects by using organoids generated from these biopsied samples.

Activity developed during the year 2021 by the member biobanks of the ISCIII Biobanks and Biomodels Platform since 2020..

In addition, the latest articles mentioning the Biobank can be found below:

Services offered

The BHCSC offers the following services:

• Donor recruitment and sample collection and associated sample data. Two types of activity are carried out:
• Aimed at prospective projects.
• Biobank core collection.
• The samples are organised into 3 types or nodes: Solid (mainly from tumour bank), liquid (blood, urine…), and stem cells/cell lines.
• There is a unified system for sample coding and management (single software), storage, quality and security controls.
• Management of informed consents and all legal aspects in accordance with the Biomedical Research Act and the General Data Protection Regulation.
• Release of research samples.
• Security, quality and accreditation (where possible in the CAM).
• Processing and storage of human samples for biomedical research.

These services have approved fees in force.