UPORT uses the following protocols for patient inclusion that have been approved by the local Biobank Research Ethics Committee (TCBio).
Do you have a question for the UPORT team? You can contact the study coordinators using the following contact information.
The UPORT Cancer protocol (21-042) is used to generate patient-derived living biobanks of various types of cancer, including bladder cancer, pancreas cancer, thyroid cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, cholangiocarcinoma, cervix cancer, colorectal cancer, head and neck cancer, neuroendocrine tumors, ovarian cancer, and lung cancer. While organoids are typically generated from the cancer cells themselves, the protocol also allows long-term (co-) culturing of non-cancer cells from the tumor microenvironment, including immune cells and stromal cells (e.g. endothelial cells, cancer-associated fibroblasts). In addition, the protocol allows organoid establishment from precursor lesions (e.g. adenomas), from lesions at high risk of developing cancer (e.g. inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and from cancer-associated healthy tissue.
The UPORT AIR protocol (16-586) is used to generate living biobanks of airway organoids, airway epithelial stem cells, and stromal cells (e.g. fibroblasts) to support research for new diagnostic and therapeutic options for people with lung transplant rejection and (rare)lung diseases, including cystic fibrosis (CF), primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD), interstitial lung diseases (ILD), chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD), and for pulmonary infectious diseases.
The UPORT GUT protocol (19-831) is used to generate living biobanks of intestinal tissue and organoids for studying mechanisms of disease and for developing new diagnostic tools and therapeutic interventions. Relevant diseases include CF, IBD, graft versus host disease and other (rare) genetic and metabolic diseases.
All UPORT protocols that are used for the acquisition of human tissues are evaluated by the Biobank Research Ethics Committee (TCBio). TCBio is an independent committee that protects the rights and interests of the patient donors and ensures that human tissues are used in a responsible and lawful manner.
The various biobanking protocols allow initial characterization of the generated cultures, involving DNA and RNA sequencing, and limited drug screening. For additional research questions a biobank release form should be submitted, which will be evaluated by the TCBio.