Division of Biology and Medicine
BioMed Core Facilities
Rhode Island Biobank
The Rhode Island Biobank is a state of the art cryogenic facility for human tissue and fluid samples. The facility provides a secure, centralized biorepository and bioregistry for tissues and fluids that will be available for biomedical research.
Rhode Island Biobank
The Rhode Island Biobank is a state of the art cryogenic facility for human tissue and fluid samples. The facility provides a secure, centralized biorepository and bioregistry for tissues and fluids that will be available for biomedical research.
About
The Rhode Island Biobank is a state of the art cryogenic facility for human tissue and fluid samples located at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. It is a core facility under the management of the Division of Biology & Medicine and supports biomedical research on the Brown campus and across the affiliated hospitals of The Warren Alpert Medical School.
Find us at CoresRI!
Mission
The mission of the Rhode Island Biobank is to provide a secure, centralized biorepository and bioregistry for tissues and fluids that will be available for biomedical research by investigators at Brown University, local area hospitals, and beyond.
- The RI Biobank provides a secure, state of the art freezer and cryogenic facility to store biological samples including brain tissue, cerebral spinal fluid (CSF), blood, and neuromuscular tissue with a sophisticated, fully customizable biospecimen tracking system.
- The RI Biobank provides not only experienced service but also guidance regarding best practices in biobanking. This will ensure sample integrity, longevity, security, and access in order to accelerate and facilitate research.
Focus
The current focus of the RI Biobank is the Alzheimer's diseased brain specimen collection of Edward Stopa, MD. This collection contains
- >3000 brains — formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded, control and diseased.
- >100 brains — snap frozen in liquid nitrogen or fixed 4% paraformaldehyde and cryoprotected in 30% sucrose
- >75 cerebral spinal fluid specimens
- >2000 paraffin-embedded brain tumors and 30 snap frozen specimens
- >500 fixed and frozen skeletal muscle
Services and Instruments
- We provide a secure, state of the art biorepository to store human biological samples. Facility equipment include four (4) -80°C freezers, three (3) 4°C refrigerators, and two (2) Taylor Warton liquid nitrogen freezers each capable of holding 40,000 1ml samples.
- Consultation regarding best practices in Biobanking
- Biospecimen inventory management
Facilities
The RI Biobank facility is a 1,540 ft2 space that is secured by card swipe access. The facility contains:
- (4) -80° Celsius freezers each with a capacity of 40,500 samples
- (4) 4° Celsius Deli style refrigerators
- (2) Taylor Warton LN cryostorage systems each with a capacity of 40,000 1ml samples
- Freezerworks (ver 11.01) biospecimen inventory software
All equipment is monitored 24/7 with a Rees alarm system and all freezers are also connected to a back-up generator system.
Service Request and Reservations
Rates
Our current monthly storage rates for human biological specimens are as follows:
FY25 Rates
| Service | Units of Service | Internal Academic Rates* | External Academic Rates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Storage Liquid Nitrogen | 2" Boxes (81 samples/box)/Month | $13 | $21 |
| Storage -80^oC 2" Box | 2" Boxes (81 samples/box)/Month | $6 | $10 |
| Storage -80^oC 1" Box | 1" Boxes (25 samples/box)/Month | $6 | $10 |
*Rates for Brown and Rhode Island Academic and Hospital Affiliates
Effective 11/18/2024
Please call or email for rates for Corporate or For-Profit Institutions.
Contacts/Location
Directions
The Rhode Island Biobank is located in the BioMedical Center on the corner of Meeting and Brown Streets. There is 2- and 3-hour parking on surrounding city streets. Enter through the main entrance on Meeting Street and check in at the security desk. The Biobank office is located in Room 203 on the main floor of the building.
Related Information
The Hassenfeld Child Health Innovation Institute aims to make a positive impact on the lives of children and their families in Rhode Island and beyond.
Resources for Grants
Rhode Island Biobank. The Rhode Island Biobank, located in the Biomedical Center and Laboratories for Molecular Medicine, is a human tissue and fluid sample cryogenic storage facility for investigators located at Brown University and the affiliated hospitals of the Warren Alpert Medical School. This facility, staffed by a research technician, provides a secure, state of the art biorepository to store human biological samples. Facility equipment includes four (4) -80°C freezers, three (3) 4°C refrigerators, and two (2) Taylor Warton liquid nitrogen freezers each capable of holding 40,000 1ml samples. The facility offers consultation regarding best practices in biobanking and biospecimen inventory management.
Scientific reproducibility is enhanced through scientific rigor and transparency. Scientific rigor is the strict application of the scientific method to ensure unbiased and well-controlled experimental design, methodology, analysis, interpretation, and reporting of results. The Biobank Facility is committed to supporting research excellence by adopting the following practices of scientific rigor.
- Purchase and maintain a variety of high-quality instruments from established vendors such that the best instrument is available for any given research analysis.
- The equipment is overseen by highly trained experts and well maintained under service contracts or funds budgeted for annual preventive maintenance and repairs.
- The experts are available for experimental design consults or troubleshooting.
Acknowledgment
This facility was supported in part by Brown University's Division of Biology and Medicine.