- A biobank collects biological samples and linked medical information from volunteers to help researchers study diseases and improve patient outcomes.
- Plans by St James’s Hospital to create Ireland’s largest shared medical biobank, storing patient samples and health data to support future research and treatments.
- The project has received about €10 million in funding from the Health Service Executive and is expected to become operational within roughly two years.
- Prof Colm Bergin said the aim is to combine patient data, samples and diagnostics under strong ethical and regulatory oversight to improve healthcare outcomes.
- Unlike many existing Irish biobanks that focus on single diseases, the new system is intended to be broad and “agnostic to condition,” potentially including all patients accessing healthcare services.
- Programme manager Dr Suzanne Bracken said the long-term ambition is for the facility to grow into a national or even European biobank hub by the 2030s.
- Doyle said she hopes wider participation will eventually contribute to cures for illnesses like leukaemia, calling the chance to help future patients “very powerful.”
https://www.irishtimes.com/health/2026/04/27/eventually-there-will-be-a-cure-patients-donate-to-new-biobank-in-hope-of-aiding-research
Lynch Syndrome Ireland 