The Wales Cancer Biobank (WCB) is a biobank that asks patients in Wales with a known or possible cancer diagnosis to donate biosamples and data to be used in cancer related research. Researchers worldwide and working in any sector can apply to access anonymised samples, data or images for their research. The WCB is licensed by the Human Tissue Authority under the UK Human Tissue Act (2004) to store human tissue for research and has approval from Wales REC3 as a Research Tissue Bank to supply samples for research without the need for individual project ethics.

The WCB archive holds samples from over 15,000 patients in 30 tumour types, with the largest collections in breast, colorectal, prostate and lung.  Tumour and adjacent normal tissue is available frozen (at -80) and in FFPE blocks.  DNA and RNA as well as blood and blood products (serum and plasma) are also available. WCB can undertake bespoke, prospective collections for projects. A contribution to cost recovery fee is applicable. Researchers interested in obtaining samples should contact wcbresesarchapplications@cardiff.ac.uk.

WCB is funded by Health and Care Research Wales as a Research Infrastructure group. For more information, the WCB website is www.walescancerbank.com .