Wales Cancer Bank

The Wales Cancer Bank (WCB) is a biobank that collects, processes and stores biosamples and data from cancer patients in Wales for research. Patients are asked to consent to donate tissue samples that are surplus to diagnostic requirement and fluid samples (e.g. blood, urine, saliva) for use in future research projects. 

All data is held securely and in line with Data Protection regulations. WCB has a licence from the Human Tissue Authority to store samples for research and is approved as a Research Tissue Bank by NHS Research Ethics Committees. Researchers worldwide and working in any sector can apply to WCB to access samples and data for their cancer related research projects.

People and community links:

Dr Richard Clarkson - Scientific Director Wales Cancer Bank

In the news:

Bowel Cancer Awareness Month 2023 (April 2023)

How the research community in Wales is changing lives in 2023 (February 2023)

New roadmap unveiled to boost cancer research for patients across Wales (July 2022)

“Wales has played a key role in the UK-wide research effort at a pace and scale that has never been seen before” (October 2021)

Wales Cancer Bank awarded biobank of the year (December 2020)

£44 million investment in health and social care research in Wales (October 2020)