SPHO Biobank Network

Since pediatric malignancies are rare diseases, the limited number of samples available for research is an impediment to the performance of studies that can achieve significant clinical results. For this reason the activity of the Biobank is so important, as it can provide larger number of samples that would take a long time to collect. The biobank in Zurich collects samples from all Swiss pediatric oncology clinics that are part of our network. The regulations of the biobank have been reviewed by the Ethics Committee of Canton Zurich, to ensure that the biobank operates in compliance with the Swiss law. The SPHO Biobank is certified by the Swiss Biobanking Platform (SBP) with the NORMA and VITA labels.

To allow the use of samples for research, patients or their parents must sign the general consent of the biobank. The consent can be retracted any time, simply by writing to the biobank.

The biobank supports research projects performed by swiss or international researchers. When a researcher wants to use the samples, their request is evaluated by the scientific review board of the biobank, formed by swiss pediatric oncologists. The role of the scientific review board is to make sure that the valuable samples stored in the biobank are used for research projects that have a clear clinical and scientific relevance, for example, they want to investigate new therapies or tumor mechanisms. In addition, all projects that wish to use the biobank’s samples, must have an appropriate ethical approval. Only then the biobank is allowed to release the samples.

The biobank infrastructure is located in the Research building of the University Children’s Hospital Zurich, in the Oncology Research group. Running a biobank is very expensive, since it requires the maintenance of samples in liquid nitrogen (-196°C) or -80°C freezers.

The support from donors is very important in helping the biobank.
If you are interested in knowing more about the biobank, it is possible to plan a visit. Please contact the Biobank manager: Irina Banzola