ServicesBruce McManus Cardiovascular Biobank

About the Biobank

The Bruce McManus Cardiovascular Biobank (BMCB), initiated by Dr. Bruce McManus in June 1982, maintains over 100,000 de-identified human cardiovascular tissue specimens, including explanted hearts from orthotopic heart transplantation, blood vessels, heart valves, and myocardium. The BMCB has been a platform for translational research and multi-faceted education.

Archiving Tissue Specimens

In close collaboration with heart surgeons and pathologists, the BMCB collects human tissue specimens directly from the Operating Room, typically within 5 minutes post-surgery. Each specimen is processed through four distinct preservation methods, ensuring the integrity and utility of samples for research purposes. These methods include:

• flash-freezing,
• RNA stabilization solution (RNAlater™) storage,
• Optimal Cutting Temperature (OCT) compound-embedded, and
• formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE)

The BMCB’s distinguished heart transplant cohort is characterized by the collection of explanted hearts, kindly donated by transplant recipients, alongside matched blood samples from the donors. For each heart, we archive tissues from 32 standardized regions in each of the four preservation methods previously described (Fig. 1). Our biobanking approach is illustrated in the below figure, a visual representation of our heart archiving protocol.

Common Surgical Samples Available

This list highlights common specimens routinely collected at the BMCB, but is not exhaustive. Please contact the biobank for information on additional available sample types.

Requesting Sample Access

All initial requests should go to our centralized service email biobank@hli.ubc.ca. For samples from explanted hearts, please have a look at the Clinical Data Collection Form and Sample Request Form attached below to know what information and samples may be available for your research.

The BMCB supports cardiovascular research for local, national, and international investigators. The BMCB requires approved human ethics before releasing human biospecimens.

For UBC researchers, please refer to “Guidance Note 18: Research Involving Human Biospecimens” for your ethics approval or letters of ethics exemption. For non-UBC researchers, please refer to your local ethics requirement. BMCB will require your full ethics application or letter of ethics exemption before releasing any human biospecimens for research. The ethics documents need to come from an authorized ethics board and clearly indicate how samples will be used (e.g., purpose, assays, and dissemination of results).