The Australasian Leukaemia and Lymphoma Tissue Bank
One of the researchers at the National Australasian Leukaemia and Lymphoma Tissue Bank
The Australasian Leukaemia and Lymphoma Tissue Bank is a joint initiative of the Australasian Leukaemia and Lymphoma Group (ALLG) and the Leukaemia Foundation. Australia's first and only specialized haematological Tissue Bank, it was established in October 2002 with the generous assistance of AMP Foundation and was later supported by PriceWaterhouseCoopers.
The Tissue Bank is located in the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane and is overseen by Associate Professor Paula Marlton, founding Director of the Tissue Bank and former Chair of the ALLG Laboratory Science Committee. A table of current Tissue Bank holdings can be accessed by researchers through this website link: www.petermac.org/allg The Leukaemia Foundation continues its strong support of the Leukaemia and Lymphoma Tissue Bank and our vision to finding better treatment and cures for blood cancers
What is the Tissue Bank?
The Australasian Leukaemia and Lymphoma Tissue Bank is a temperature controlled facility for storing clinical tissue samples to be used in approved research. The samples are human tissue samples collected from the blood, bone marrow and other body organs of patients across Australia with leukaemia, lymphoma, myeloma or related blood disorders. All the tissues are collected with the informed consent of the patients.
A central secure database has been established and maintained to facilitate rapid tracking of the resources within the Bank and record sample use.
The central repository gives researchers access to accumulated tissue samples of blood disorders and enables research groups to conduct larger scale studies. Prior to the establishment of the Tissue Bank it was difficult for researchers in Australia to access sufficient numbers of tissue samples for meaningful research into a wide variety of blood cancers without an organised,high quality, collection and storage process.
The Tissue Bank therefore plays a crucial role in research into leukaemia and other blood cancers which seeks to improve our understanding of:- The biological processes leading to the development of these cancers
- The factors which control variable patient response to current treatments
- What treatment strategies will be more effective for patients
The Australasian Leukaemia and Lymphoma Tissue Bank bridges the gap between the internationally excellent clinical expertise of the ALLG and equally high quality laboratory research being performed in research institutions across Australia.
