How can I search for sample resources?

The UKCRC Tissue Directory and Coordination Centre (TDCC) can help you find the resources and human tissue samples that you need for your research. We are independent to any sample supplier as we neither hold nor collect samples. Our role is to help researchers access existing samples or infrastructures, to reduce duplication in sample collection. There are multiple ways in which we can help you find what you are looking for. In addition, our active research and development programme is establishing new mechanisms for researchers to discover samples. New search tools will be published on this page for the research community to trial and provide feedback on, with the aim of feedback enabling development to deliver a world class service.

UKCRC Tissue Directory

This is the primary tissue search facility offered by the UKCRC Tissue Directory and Coordination Centre. You can find out more about what the Tissue Directory can be used for on our Directory page.

Go to the Directory

Let us help you

Are you struggling to find a human sample resource that has what you need? We can help you by utilising our expertise and understanding of the UK biobanking landscape to find the resources that can support your research. Complete the form below to get some help.

Let us know your requirements

Find Samples

Name*
First Last
Email*
Do you need samples from ‘healthy’/control or diseased donors? If diseased please specify which.*
What material types do you require: For example: Blood, Plasma, Tissue, etc.*
What do you intend to do with the sample? e.g. Cell culture, genetic analysis, histology etc. (this will inform which storage conditions you require.)*
How many samples do you need over what timeframe?*
How many samples can you receive at one time?*
What sized sample or volume do you require?*
What are you exclusion criteria? E.g. no HIV, no cancer, above 18, male, female*
What associated clinical information do you need?*
Do you have ethical approval in place?*
- Yes
- No
Have you secured funding to access samples, or are you seeking academic collaboration?*
Sign up to our newsletter?*
- Yes
- No
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HDR UK ATLAS

This is a new tool developed with Health Data Research UK to enable detailed searching of a few of the UK's leading population cohort studies. Register to use the tool and search on our ATLAS page.

COVID-19 samples

If you are seeking COVID-19 samples please contact us with details of your research and tissue sample requirement. You can use the requirements drop-down form (to the left) or email directly to contact@tdcc-blog.azurewebsites.net.

Research and Development Programme

The UKCRC TDCC is keen to receive feedback about researchers' experiences using the Tissue Directory and ATLAS. These positive or negative comments will enable us to ensure these tools continue to be developed in useful ways. Please email contact@tdcc-blog.azurewebsites.net with your feedback.

A cornerstone of our work is transparency and we apply this in our endeavours to make tissue samples discoverable. Our work will always seek to utilise standards that already exist; working with industry in a collaborative and co-creating way to deliver real change.

Distributed Search APIs

Our main focus, with Health Data Research UK in the ATLAS project, has been to ensure that the tools that are built to discover samples and data are built upon a common set of standards that facilitates sharing. The worst case scenario would be that sample and data resources engage to enable their capabilities to be discovered only to be restricted by proprietary data standards that prevents interoperability.

Part of our work with BC Platforms was to ensure that as we leverage their technology that we also make parts of the system open. Therefore, ATLAS, is driven using existing standards such as MIABIS for the sample information and OMOP for clinical data. In addition, BC Platforms have committed to making the API protocol that facilitates the data discovery open for others to use. More information will be available shortly.