Liverpool Neuroscience Biobank (LNBW)

Liverpool Neuroscience Biobank at The Walton Centre (LNBW)

Liverpool Neuroscience Biobank at The Walton Centre (LNBW) was established to promote multidisciplinary basic and translational neuro-oncology and neurology research. It includes archived and prospectively collected samples from patients who are investigated at The Walton Centre.

We merged two previously established biobanks, the Walton Research Tissue Bank (WRTB) -Ref: REC 15/WA/0385 and the Walton CSF Research Biobank (WCRB)- Ref: REC 16/WA/0291 into one - the Liverpool Neuroscience Biobank at The Walton Centre (LNBW), to enhance the scope of governance, research and collaborations to facilitate multi-centre research.

LNBW has received full approval of the Wales REC4 National Research Ethics Service [REC ref 20/WA/0043] until 2025 and is held under a Human Tissue Authority Licence at The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust.  The operation of the LNBW is overseen by the LNBW management committee whose role is to ensure that samples are used appropriately in relevant research projects and is fully supported by Trust management and facilitated by clinical and neuroscience laboratories staff.

All patients undergoing clinical procedures at The Walton Centre are invited to participate and donate samples to LNBW for research. Patients are recruited with appropriate research consent forms (along with patient information sheets) and relevant samples like fresh tissue, CSF, matched with bloods are collected and stored in the biobank for current and future research projects.

Biobank fridge

Clinicians and basic science researchers in Liverpool and within the Brain Tumour North West Collaboration are actively engaged in neuro-oncology and neurology research to investigate molecular and imaging biomarkers that may be used to aid diagnosis, treatment, predict prognosis in various neuro-oncology and neurological conditions and to gain an increased understanding of the basic biology and to develop better therapies for patients.

Such research involves studies and analysis of DNA, RNA, proteins and metabolites etc. from tissues, CSF, blood, urine samples and in some cases, cells from tumour tissues, may be cultured in the laboratory. Comparisons between sample biology, radiological imaging and clinical outcome are an essential component of this research.

Our current research interests includes chemo sensitivity of gliomas, factors that influence progression and recurrence in gliomas, the impact of molecular genetics and radiological parameters on outcome in gliomas, blood and CSF borne biomarkers, biology of tumours that metastasise to the brain and paraneoplastic autoantibodies and their role in disease, method development to identify bio-markers present in both CSF and blood, the impact of molecular genetics and radiological parameters on outcomes in neurological conditions.