Handling of Your Biobank Application at Uppsala Biobank

All biobank matters concerning biobank samples within Uppsala Biobank, where an approved ethics application is required, must be approved by the biobank manager at Uppsala Biobank.

Biobank applications related to new collection, extraction, or release should be sent to Uppsala Biobank's email address for processing. Fill out your application (L1.1) electronically and send it, along with any attachments, to our email address below for review and decision. Send the application unsigned in Word format. Once a decision is made, we send out the biobank application for digital signing. All parties then receive a digitally signed PDF of the application.

Our email address for reviewing and processing of biobank applications: uppsalabiobank@regionuppsala.se

For other inquiries: info@uppsalabiobank.uu.se

Handling Process

Incoming cases are registered with Uppsala Biobank, followed by a processing phase where the forms are administratively reviewed and assessed based on the approval of the ethics application. We also examine the research participant information and consent. In some cases, we may provide recommendations on wording or additions.

If there are questions about the application, the applicant or contact person will be contacted. If someone else should be contacted with questions about the application, please specify this in the email, along with any other information that may be relevant to the case. If the receiving biobank also wants an original copy in paper format when released, it needs to be sent by mail. The processing process differs depending on whether the case involves newly collected samples or existing samples.

Newly Collected Samples

After the application is reviewed and assessed, the biobank manager makes a decision of approval or rejection. The decision is communicated to the sample collection manager via email.

Existing Samples from Healthcare Sample Collections

After the application is administratively reviewed at Uppsala Biobank, the case is forwarded to the relevant department for assessment of material extraction. When it comes to extracting samples from a healthcare sample collection, there is always an assessment of whether sufficient material remains for the patient's care and treatment. Those responsible for the healthcare sample collection also assess whether the requested amount of samples is reasonable in relation to the research question and whether the requested material will be able to answer the research question. Extracting extra material for future research that is not yet defined and ethically approved will not be approved. After the department has made this assessment and approved the extraction, the biobank manager at Uppsala Biobank can finalize the application. The sample collection manager is then notified via email.

For information about the pathologist's healthcare sample collection, please contact kpfouservice@akademiska.se. Information and instructions are also available on the pathologist's website. Once the biobank application is finalized at Uppsala Biobank, the sample collection manager must also fill in the pathologist's order form as a work order to the pathologist.

Existing Samples from Research Sample Collections

For extraction of samples from existing research sample collections, approval is required both from the sample collection manager (who, for example, signs the biobank application together with the applicant) and the biobank manager at Uppsala Biobank. Sometimes there are steering groups that give approval for extraction before the application is sent to Uppsala Biobank. Feel free to contact us (info@uppsalabiobank.uu.se) if you have questions about how to proceed.

For extraction from U-CAN, see instructions on the U-CAN website.