Biorepository

The Institutional Biorepository operated at Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute and Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago provides the infrastructure for collecting, processing, storing, and releasing biological specimens and data used for approved research studies to researchers at Lurie Children’s and their community partners. All services provided are consistent with applicable laws and accepted biobanking best practices. 

Biorepository Team

Members of the management team are highligh motivated and well-trained life sciences experts, clinical researchers, and medical professionals. They are all ASCP-certified. 

Biorepository Location 

We are located on the 3rd and 10th floors in the Louis A. Simpson and Kimberly K. Querrey Biomedical Research Center and on the 8th floor in the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital building. 

Visit our SharePoint Site for additional information and updates.

The Biorepository provides services in support of biospecimen collection, processing, storage, and distribution. 

Standard Biorepository services include: 

  • Consulting for Samples collection and Budgeting.
  • Grant Support for faculty preparing grant applications with a biorepository component.
  • Design appropriate documentation. 
  • Design and assemble biological sample collection kits.
  • Processing specimens (tissue, serum, plasma, PBMC, body fluid, and etc.). 
  • Annotation and QC of collected specimens.
  • Biorepository Sample inventory management services. 
  • Long-term and short-term Biorepository Storage and QC of samples at -80 and -170 °C
  • Biorepository Sample transferring, packaging, and distribution.

Additional research services include: 

  • Pathologist slide review and report, QC of banked samples.
  • Tissue Microarray (TMA) design, construction, and biomarker analysis.
  • A digital image data repository: 
    • Slides scanned at 20X or 40X 
    • Annotated region of interest
  • Electrochemiluminescent (ECL) Assays.
  • Specialized clinical trial assay support (Elisa, Western blot, PCR, etc.) 

The Biorepository is accredited by the College of American Pathologists and has:

  • Trained staff. 
  • Accredited quality management system.
  • Access to a large pool of high-quality samples and associated data.
  • Samples transportation, processing, storage, and analysis are done according to standard methods.
  • 24/7 temperature monitoring system and Alarms for LN2 and Freezers.
  • Emergency backup freezers. 
  • High-quality assurance and control of specimen placement (The Biorepository utilizes LIMS Freezerworks software to track and log a sample’s life cycle to ensure its quality has not been compromised).
  • High-quality pathology assessment of histology and antigen quality of banked tissue.  

 

If you recently submitted any manuscripts in which you received biospecimens from the Biorepository we want to know about it. Please be sure to acknowledge the Biorepository in any publications, grant applications and presentations and utilize the following language:

 "The authors acknowledge the Institutional Biorepository at Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute affiliated with Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago for providing biospecimen storage, management, and distribution services in support of the research reported in this publication/grant application/presentation.” 

Contact Information: 

  1. For obtaining a Consultation and Letter of Support from a Biorepository please email Galina Khramtsova
  2. For onboarding new studies please email David Williams
  3. For banked samples at Lurie Children's please email Traci Baptiste-Merkin
    and James Bellis
  4. For requesting banked tissue at Lurie Children's: submit a Request for  
    Tissue Request

Locations and Hours: 

Biorepository Services Hours of Operation: 8:00 am - 4:30 pm, M-F  

Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute 
10th Floor Room 10-500 
302 E Huron Street Chicago, IL 60611 
Phone: (312)503-7178
Email: biorepository_sq@luriechildrens.org   

Ann & Robert H. Lurie’s Children’s Hospital of Chicago 
225 E. Chicago Ave 
Chicago, IL 60611 
Phone: (312)227- 4082 
Email:  biorepository@luriechildrens.org