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Biorepository Services Unit

Biorepository Services Unit

Biorepository Services

Our Biorepository Services.

We oversee a network of three biorepositories in Abuja, Jos, and Zaria. These biorepositories receive, process, store, manage inventory control, package, and distribute samples.

Biological specimens, tissues, and tuberculosis isolates are safely handled to support research, public health evaluation studies, clinical trials, and HIV-associated malignant studies.

The central biorepository in Abuja operates at international standards using ISBER (International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories) guidelines, after a ten-year support funding from the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant, Human Heredity and Health in Africa (H3Africa). The central biorepository supports investigators within IHVN, Abuja and its environs, Africans, and international biomedical researchers.

The Jos and Zaria biorepositories continue to support IHVN programs. Samples from health facilities supported by the Institute are shipped to any of the three biorepositories for long-term storage.

All the biorepositories use up-to-date FreezerWorks, a uniquely tailored sample management software, to manage biospecimens and track associated data throughout their life cycle. The biorepositories are supported with institutional generators dedicated to the biorepository and inverters to ensure an uninterrupted electricity supply.

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Laboratory scientists at work in the IHVN biorepository at the IHVN Campus in Abuja

Freezers are monitored by an automated temperature monitoring system that provides remote (web-based) monitoring and phone calls, email, and text alerts for temperature or system excursion.

The central biorepository provides full biobanking services from collection, and processing through storage to distribution. The Biorepository can support extensive collections of blood derivatives such as buffy coats, sera, plasma, DNA, RNA, urine, breast milk, and swabs.

Achievements

  • NHREC certified biorepositories
  • Trained over 100 scientists on IATA complaint shipping, sample processing and quality control, basic and advanced biorepository operation, Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS), and Sample tracking.
  • Maintenance of cold chain procedures and logistics.
  • Shipment through ambient to -80C and LN2 dry shipment.
  • M280X2 liquid nitrogen generating plant which generates 80 litres per day of liquid nitrogen within 24 hours.

Biorepository Team