Cardiovascular Tissue & Blood Bank
The primary goal of the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute's Clinical Trials Unit (BCVI-CTU) Cardiovascular Tissue & Blood Bank is to systematically collect, store and distribute cardiac tissue and other samples for research dedicated to the improved understanding, care and treatment of individuals with cardiovascular disease. We have more than 6,000 cardiac tissue samples.
Current Tissue & Blood Bank activities and services include coordinating patient consent, collecting and banking freshly frozen tissue specimens daily from excess surgical material, processing and banking blood components, maintaining a sample database with links to clinical data and assuring regulatory compliance.
An oversight committee serves to guide policies, prioritize resources and review service requests to ensure equitable usage. Collection and storage of all specimens is approved by the Northwestern University Institutional Review Board (Federal Wide Assurance FWA00001549) as part of the BCVI-CTU Cardiovascular Research Database, study STU000012288. Copies of each subject’s consent to donate their tissue and/or blood for research are maintained in a secure area of the CTU. Clinical data from each case are logged into a secured computer data base. Tissue and blood received into the repository is catalogued and referenced by a unique numbering system in order to maintain patients' confidentiality.
Tissues Collected
| Aorta | Aortic Valve | Apical Core |
| Left Atrial Appendage (LAA) | Left Atrial Wall | Left Ventricular Wall |
| Mitral Valve | Right Atrial Wall | Right Ventricular Wall |
| Pulmonic Valve | Septal | Tricuspid Valve |
Requesting Specimens
Investigators must submit a service request form to obtain samples. This form requires an explanation of the tissue requested (type, number of samples, justification), description of the study and source of funding. Data will be provided in aggregate to maintain patient confidentiality. IRB approval or exemption from IRB review will be required if non-aggregate data (identified/de-identified) are requested. IRB application to indicate samples are obtained from CARD Specimen Repository IRB #: STU00012288. Get further information on IRB requirements.
All requests are reviewed by the Tissue Bank Review Committee to determine scientific merit, clinical significance, statistical validity and feasibility of completing the study in a timely manner. For approved requests, specimens will be distributed only after receiving a copy of the investigator's IRB approval letter.