The purpose of the IBD BioResource is to foster important IBD research by any bona fide investigator whether from a university or from industry, particularly but not exclusively relating to the clinical translation of recent genetics advances. It should bring forward the possibilities of personalised medicine in IBD by providing access to large cohorts of patients who can be selected by genotype (all subjects will have GWAS data) or clinical phenotype. In short, we want to make high quality IBD research easier, so that current and future patients can benefit sooner!
Investigators can access the IBD BioResource by submitting a short application to nbr@bioresource.nihr.ac.uk outlining their proposed study, confirming its approval by a research ethics committee and detailing appropriate funding support. Proposed studies may involve:
-Data access only – application form
-Data and sample access – application form
-Recall studies (for e.g. intervention studies, surveys and questionnaires, clinical trials) – application form
The process to access the IBD BioResource panel for data and samples or recall studies is as follow:
Applications are considered by the NIHR BioResource Steering Committee/Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) and approval must be gained before the study can commence.
A maximum of 8 new applications will be considered at each NIHR BioResource Steering Committee meeting. Applications will go for feasibility checks, before being distributed to the Steering Committee for review; please allow 1 month from the dates shown above to receive feedback. If the next NIHR BioResource Steering Committee meeting is full or if your application is received after the deadline, it will be considered at the next available meeting.
Completed forms should be emailed to nbr@bioresource.nihr.ac.uk and ibd@bioresource.nihr.ac.uk
If your application to the NIHR BioResource Steering Committee is successful you will be sent a Study Summary Template and Confirmation of Conduct form by our team to be completed. Volunteer recruitment will not commence until these forms have been returned to us. Please be aware that we may ask you to amend your study paperwork, including Patient Information Sheet and Consent Form, to ensure that it complies with our Protocol and standards before we are able to commence recruitment.
Any recall studies that make use of the BioResource facilities in S2 at Addenbrooke’s hospital must have NHS REC approval. In addition to this Cambridge University Hospital must be an approved site.
Patients meeting inclusion criteria will be contacted by the NIHR BioResource team with a letter of invitation and a patient information leaflet. For volunteers willing to participate appropriate arrangements will be made, for example, to gather information or collect fresh samples of blood or stool (this will be done by the NIHR BioResource team to preserve patient confidentiality), or perhaps engage patients in intervention studies (requiring clinical trials agreements to be set up with a subset of the hospitals participating with the IBD BioResource and then recruiting from their patient cohorts).
If you are interested in having your study supported by the NIHR BioResource please contact us at nbr@bioresource.nihr.ac.uk to have a discussion about your potential application- this can help your application, as we can check feasibility, or assist in necessary changes to your study ethics, before you submit an application.
The current cost guidelines for academic investigators, clinical investigators and industry to use the NIHR BioResource are outlined here
