Based at the UQ Centre for Clinical Research, the Brisbane Breast Bank was originally established by Professor Lakhani in 2005, with the aim of collecting a frozen tumour sample from every patient undergoing treatment at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital.

With financial support from UQ, QIMR Berghofer, the RBWH Foundation and Australasian Biospecimen Network, as well as the cooperation and goodwill of staff from Pathology Queensland, QML and Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology, the bank has been operating for over 10 years, and has become a valuable resource for breast cancer research in Australia and abroad.

Other researchers can apply to access BBB resources, but the research is conducted on a collaborative basis, rather than as a paid service for sample provision. Conducting the research in this way enables us to be true custodians of the biospecimens and clinical data, ensuring the most efficient and meaningful use of this finite resource, and compliance with National Human Research Ethics guidelines. Requests for research collaboration and clinical samples may also come to us via National and International biobanking groups with which we are affiliated:

  • The Australian Breast Cancer Tissue Bank (ABCTB)
  • The Australasian Biospecimens Network Association (ABNA)
  • Brain Cancer Biobanking Australia (BCBA)
  • The International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC)

The Brisbane Breast Bank represents critical national biomedical research infrastructure and is helping to increase the relevance of breast cancer research on an international scale.

It is now more important than ever to ensure its sustainability.