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Home >> Shanghai >> Article
Largest biobank opens in Shanghai
By:Wu Qiong  |  From:english.eastday.com  |  2017-10-18 18:21

Shanghai has recently opened the largest biobank (also known as biorepository) in the country. The bank, located in Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park, Pudong New Area, is now home to 500,000 pieces of tumor tissues.

Officially opened on October 13, the facility operated by Shanghai Biotechnology Corporation (SBC) is established to collect and share important biological resources for the basic and clinical research on serious diseases. It can store up to 10 million biological specimens including tumor tissues, blood and a wide variety of cells.

According to Ye Yang, Marketing Director of SBC, the tumor tissues are preserved with paraffin wax at normal temperature. In order to protect the privacy of patients, the specimens are not labeled with individuals’ names. Instead, only a sequence number and a QR code can be seen on the tissue box. Information related to patients, including their diagnosis results, family medical history and living habits, are kept in a database in the computer.

Ye also told the reporter that in the biobank, human cells and several fresh tumor tissues are kept in liquid nitrogen containers. Serum, plasma, DNA and blood cells are preserved at minus 86 degrees Celsius in freezers. 

Apart from biological samples, the large biobank also houses a number of tissue research centers and cell culture chambers.

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