About Us

Tayside Biorepository is an established Tissue Bank operated by a team of clinicians, scientists and research nurses located within the University of Dundee Medical School at Ninewells Hospital, Dundee, Scotland. The Biorepository works with the hospital’s Pathology Department to collect, process and store tissue samples from consenting patients for authorised medical research. It also facilitates access to samples held within the Pathology Archive. Since it was established the Biorepository has provided samples for a wide variety of research projects and contributed to multiple scientific publications.




two researchers busy in a lab

Taysde Tissue Bank and Tayside Biorepository Collections

The Tayside Tissue Bank component of the Biorepository contains around 45,000 freshly frozen tissue samples from more than 10,000 different consenting patients.

The location of the Biorepository, adjacent to the NHS Pathology Department, ideally situates us for prompt processing and storage of surplus tissue samples after they have been examined by a pathologist. The Tayside Tissue Bank also enables access to the Pathology Department's Histopathology Archive, to which up to 30,000 new specimens are added annually.

Tayside Tissue Bank holds and stores surplus tissue and blood samples from surgical procedures, and diagnostic specimens, while the Biorepository also collects and stores other materials collected as part of other local and national trials. It also plays a role in administering access to the Tayside Type II diabetes cohort and other local tissue collections such as the Photo Dynamic Therapy (PDT) blood sample collection.

Donations are held within ultra-low temperature (ULT) freezers. These freezers are alarmed and their temperature continuously monitored to help ensure precious samples collected over many years are properly maintained.