Microbiome

Biorepository Core

Tien S. Dong, MD, PhD

This core currently houses a catalogue of biosamples of various PIs associated with the Goodman-Luskin Microbiome Center and the Vatche & Tamar Manoukian Division of Digestive Diseases. We provide research support for long-term storage of biobanked samples. These services include a searchable database and aliquoting.

For more information, contact Tien S. Dong, MD, PhD, Biorepository Core Director, at [email protected] or  310-206-6186.

Major categories of services provided by the Biorepository Core

  1. Long-term storage and cataloguing of human samples including feces, blood, urine, saliva, tissue biopsies and surgically resected tissue
  2. Placing sample ID into a searchable online database (BTM) for quick and easy retrieval
  3. Aliquoting samples, if needed, for long-term storage
  4. Ensuring adequate safeguards are in place to maintain the quality of stored biospecimens, which includes the following:
    •  Biorepository freezers will be protected by remote monitoring systems and CO2 backups to protect samples
    • A backup freezer will be kept on standby so that contents of any freezer that malfunctions can be transferred in a 1:1 manner to prevent scrambling of freezer location (which could make retrieval difficult and result in sample loss)
  5. Facilitate sharing of biorepository samples and data across PI associated with the UCLA Vatche & Tamar Division of Digestive Diseases and the members of the Goodman-Luskin Microbiome Center

Note: The Biorepository Core will not directly perform sample collection or sample aliquoting. It will also not be involved in database activities (which are provided by the Database and Media Core) other than logging sample storage and retrieval. In addition, it won’t be used to store samples from animal model or cell culture experiments (unless the cells were derived from human samples collected by the Microbiome Center).

Facilities

The Biorepository Core is located in Factor Building A649 with additional freezers located in G. Oppenheimer Center for Neurobiology of Stress and Resilience. A total of four -80 freezers are used currently for the core in addition to 200 liter Cryoplus2 liquid nitrogen tank and a -20 freezer, all with remote monitoring systems.