The Cleveland Clinic has announced it will expand a program that collects tissue and fluid samples from patients for research purposes. It’s called the Biobank.
The Cleveland Clinic for years has asked to use samples from patients to study diseases, cataloging more than 90,000 specimens. The program will get a serious upgrade with the construction of the new Biobank facility on the Clinic’s campus.
The planned facility will increase capacity, giving researchers more samples to compare diseased tissue and healthy tissue side-by-side.
"To (help) predict clinical course and really refine our treatment plans to each patient based on the specific attributes even beyond the initial diagnosis and classification," Dr. Jennifer Ko, Medical Director for the Clinic’s Central Biorepository, said.
Ko said the Biobank will help with a broad range of research from epilepsy to bowel disease.
The Clinic plans to construct the new facility at Cedar Ave. and E. 105th St. in 18 to 24 months.
