The IRBLleida Biobank has collected more than 11,000 COVID samples during the 14 months of the pandemic

In April 2020, the Institute for Research in Biomedicine of Lleida (IRBLleida) and the Arnau de Vilanova and Santa Maria de Lleida University Hospitals set up the necessary circuits to collect samples from COVID-19 patients admitted in Lleida to process and store them through the Biobanc, so that they can be used in future research projects on the disease.

In 14 months, 11,265 samples have been collected from 811 patients, mainly biological samples of blood, plasma and serum, as well as respiratory samples (bronchoaspirates). These samples are collected during hospital admission and subsequent follow-up. They are stored and form part of a common catalogue of the National Biobank Network so that the scientific community can have access to SARS-CoV-2 samples from patients who have suffered COVID-19.

The IRBLleida Biobank is the unit responsible for the management of samples and associated data for research. This management includes all the processes of receiving, processing, storing and making biological samples available to the scientific community, guaranteeing at all times the quality of the samples and their traceability in compliance with current legislation. The IRBLleida Biobank encompasses biomedical research in Lleida, both in the health system (Arnau de Vilanova University Hospital and Santa Maria University Hospital) and at the University of Lleida.