Ireland's first brain tumour biobank has been launched, marking a ‘really important development in brain tumour research' in this country.

A biobank is a large collection of biological, medical data and tissue samples. These are collected for research and diagnostic purposes.

If a patient is having brain surgery as part of their clinical treatment, their tumour will be removed, examined and diagnosed. Following this, any excess brain tumour tissue will be stored in the biobank. Researchers can then use samples of these for future clinical studies.

Patients must give their consent for their brain tissue to be used and all samples will be anonymised.

Researchers from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), with support from the department of neurosurgery and neuropathology in Dublin's Beaumont Hospital, have already begun collecting samples from brain tumours.

"The launch of this biobank is a fantastic development for cancer research in Ireland. It is the first biobank of its type in Ireland and one of only a small handful that exist in Europe. In recent years much progress has been made in the treatment and diagnoses of brain tumours, however future advances are likely to be made through a greater understanding of the underlying biology," commented Prof Jochen Prehn of the RCSI.

He pointed out that in order to carry out research into brain tumours, ‘it is vital to have access to a wide range of samples from various different types of brain tumours'.

"A brain tumour biobank gives us the opportunity to do that for the benefit of patients. Other biobanks in Ireland for other forms of cancer, such as breast and bowel cancer, have proved to be invaluable to research and developing new cancer treatments," he noted.

The biobank is part funded by Brain Tumour Ireland, a charity which provides support and information to brain tumour patients.

"One of our chief goals as a charity is to fund brain tumour research. That's why we are delighted to provide funding for this new biobank. It is a really important development in brain tumour research here in Ireland and for the future development of novel therapeutics," commented the charity's chairperson, Natasha Smith.

For more information on Brain Tumour Ireland, click here