COVID-19 Research Support
UHN COVID-19 Biobank
Since May 2020, over 4,300 participants diagnosed with or suspected of having COVID-19 have been consented to donate valuable biospecimens.
The UHN COVID-19 Biobank is currently housing over 96,000 derivatives that are ready to be used for analyses.
With hopes of expediting and facilitating research amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the UHN COVID-19 Biobank is a valuable resource that will serve as a library for researchers, facilitating access to high quality biospecimens collected longitudinally throughout the course of the infection.
Our biospecimens will be housed indefinitely, as they are essential in understanding key aspects of the disease, including, how to detect infection, how to prevent infection and the development of a COVID-19 vaccine and/or potential treatments. Our highly trained personnel at UHN Biospecimen Services can provide expertise and services in: recruitment, consenting, procurement, processing, storage and shipment of biofluids.
Contact us to discuss possible opportunities.
We welcome opportunities to work together with researchers, pharmaceutics and biotechnology industry partners.
Biospecimen Processing and Cryo-Storage
The UHN COVID-19 Biobank currently stores an array of COVID-19 specimens such as compartmentalized blood components, including: serum, plasma, whole blood and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and other biofluids, like urine, saliva and nasal swabs.
Our dedicated COVID-19 biofluids processing laboratory is a Biosafety Level 2 (BSL 2) and Containment Level 2 (CL2), equipped with state-of-the-art laboratory equipment and the necessary resources to securely process, store and manage these samples and their associated clinical data.
Processing COVID-19 samples involves compliance to established strict protocols, best practices and high quality standard operating procedures to yield prime biospecimens that will be crucial in gaining an in-depth understanding of the virulence, pathogenesis and pathophysiology of SARS-COV-2.
In addition, our facility allows for short and long-term storage in liquid nitrogen to ensure study specific biospecimen samples are preserved using best practices and high-quality standards to maintain the specimen’s integrity and viability.
The UHN COVID-19 Biobank equips researchers and clinicians with essential tools that can be utilized to better understand the virus and its susceptibilities to humans as well as successfully develop effective countermeasures that could be revolutionary and life-saving!
Adapting to Changing Conditions
UHN Biospecimen Services has modified services and operations to prioritize the current needs of COVID-19 patients and the community. For the latest updates on COVID-19 at UHN, click the button below.
