The Biobank Unit of the Centre Hospitalo-Universitaire (CHU) de Nice (Biobank06)

Site location: Pasteur Hospital, Nice, France (CHUN-CLCC CAL Biobank)

Contact information:

Contact: Dr. Paul Hofman, Director of the CHU-CLCC Biobank, & Dr Véronique Hofman, Executive member of the CHUN Biobank Unit

Tel: +33 4 92 03 88 55

E-mail: hofman.p@chu-nice.fr; hofman.v@chu-nice.fr

Web: http://www.biobank-paca.com/http://www.biobank06.com

Date of operations (date of formal start of current bank operation): January, 2004

Date range of cases (date of first and last case accrued): 2004–present

Category of biobank: Basic research tumor bank

Primary research focus of biobank (Basic, Translational, Epidemiological, or Clinical): Basic; Translational; Clinical

Membership of biobanks (networks, affiliations): Biobank-PACA (www.biobank-paca.fr; Canceropôle PACA (www.canceropole-paca.fr); INCa (www.e-cancer.fr)

Major source of funding for biobank: French Ministery of Heath, Canceropôle PACA, French National Institut of Cancer (INCa)

Proportional funding sources for biobank:

Institution core budget: 85%

Public targeted donation/foundation: 5%

Grants: 5%

User fees: 5%

Example input statistics:

Overall response to consent (Yes/No/Unknown %): 100%

Total individual cases held: 3,137

% cases associated with frozen tumor biospecimen: 100%

% cases associated with frozen tumor and blood biospecimens: 42%

Example output statistics:

Approximate number of studies supported last year: 15

Approximate number of cases released last year: 653

Publications in past year (based on biobank and users): 18

In your view, what are the most valuable/high priority cases in your biobank?

Our largest collections are in thorax cancer (lung, pleura, mediastinum), in thyroid, head and neck, and cutaneous cancer. Our major strength is that the Pasteur hospital center in the Hospital of Nice is the only cancer center for thorax pathology in the Provence Alpes Côte d'Azur East area. This means that we are able to collect extensively most of samples concerning this pathology in our biobank. Moreover all lung cancer tissue samples are associated with blood samples.

What are your major challenges?

1) Obtaining publications with high level of impact factor.

2) Setting up international networks.

3) Ensuring continued financial support for the biobank; (including both private and academic partnership).

4) Developing innovative methodologies.

What would you do with $1 million to improve the value of your biobank?

We would employ more qualified personnel dedicated to our biobank unit. These persons would be biostatisticians, data managers, engineers in quality assurance, and surgical pathologists.