GRAND RAPIDS – Van Andel Institute, Saint Mary’s Health Care and Mercy Health Partners have signed agreements paving the way for the expansion of a world-class biorepository that will store tissue and biospeciments, along with health data donated by patients.
The new biorepository will work closely with the Van Andel Institute Program for Biospecimen Science, which recently became one of seven biorepositories in the nation accredited by the College of American Pathologists.
Both biorepositories and archived data have become crucial engines of genetic, genomic, and other types of medical research, as well as advanced diagnostic procedures and treatment options.
The PBS will serve as the coordinating facility for the prospective collection of biological specimens in West Michigan and as a clearinghouse for the processing, storage, and isolation of specimens to fuel biomedical discovery at VAI and partnering institutions. The PBS also conducts scientific evidence-based practices to advance the field of biospecimen science.
?This biorepository agreement is a natural extension of the collaborative relationship we have had for years with the Van Andel Institute,? said Phil McCorkle, Saint Mary?s President and CEO. ?Saint Mary?s and VAI have a solid history of bringing research to our patients and community, as evidenced by our Parkinson?s disease and cancer research, as well as the Clinical Trial Unit at Saint Mary?s.?
Biorepositories require a substantial investment to build and maintain. Sophisticated, prefabricated freezers capable of maintaining the low temperatures required to store blood and other tissue samples can start at $1 million, so it is cost effective for multiple organizations to partner in growing an established biorepository.
Biorepositories also meet the growing demand for reliable, well-documented biospecimens utilized in the field of disease research. A significant obstacle in developing new treatments for diseases has been the lack of well-annotated associated clinical samples and processing data of uniformly collected biospecimen research samples.
Under the agreements, with patient consent, Saint Mary’s Health Care and Mercy Health Partners will collect biospecimens and approved data and transfer them to the Van Andel Institute Program for Biospecimen Science. The Institute will store the biospecimens and data using sophisticated processes and equipment and will make the specimens available to physicians and researchers. Saint Mary’s Health Care has already begun operations, and Mercy Health Partners hopes to commence operations within 90 days.
