The IRBIO Research Biobank is a non-profit facility of the CIBIO Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology, within the IRBIO Research Infrastructure for Biology of the University of Trento. It was established thanks to funding from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) and donations from associations, local organizations and private citizens.
The IRBIO Biobank supports translational medicine, by providing high quality biological samples and associated data to the scientific community, with a special focus on neurology and oncology.
By offering standardized and reliable resources, the IRBIO Biobank promotes research that bridges the gap between scientific insights generated by basic research and the clinical applications, aiming to improve prevention, diagnosis and therapies with tangible solutions for human health.
Areas of Interest
The activity of the IRBIO Biobank is based on two technological pillars that are revolutionising biomedical research: induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and extracellular vesicles (EVs).
iPSCs are adult cells genetically reprogrammed to return to an embryonic-like state and are capable of transforming into almost any cell type in the body. They are fundamental for recreating models of human diseases in the laboratory, to study their mechanisms and to test drugs. The IRBIO Biobank promotes a responsible and coordinated use of these cells and makes them accessible to researchers who may lack the specialized skills and infrastructure required for their production.
EVs are tiny particles released by cells, mainly consisting of proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids, and reflect the state of the cell of origin. In the context of liquid biopsy, they can provide information about hard-to-reach organs thus, a simple blood sample can offer great insights on various pathological processes. To fully unlock this potential the IRBIO Biobank employs rigorous procedures to collect and process EVs, to preserve their integrity for biomarker research.
Services
The resources of the IRBIO Biobank are available to qualified research personnel, clinical staff and public and private organizations, provided that their projects:
- have been approved by an Ethics Committee;
- have been favorably evaluated by the IRBIO biobank access committee, which assesses its scientific relevance and consistency with the biobank’s mission.
In addition to access to samples, the biobank can offer advanced characterization and analysis services, carried out at its core facilities, reducing the need to transfer biological material to other sites. This approach is based on principles of openness, ethics and scientific responsibility.