Material access

In order to receive heart tissue, researchers must submit a well-substantiated application. The Scientific Review Committee of the Heart Tissue Bank then assesses all applications, for example the feasibility and quality of the research are assessed. After approval, they sign an agreement stating how the tissue should be handled. The agreement stipulates, among other things, that the issued tissue may only be used for the approved research project. The tissue remains the property of the Heart Tissue Bank. It is forbidden to provide the tissue to third parties without the permission of the Heart Tissue Bank or to use it irresponsibly.

Documents

For researchers who are interested in using material and data we have the following documents available:

Material

Material currently stored in the Heart Tissue Bank:

 1. Frozen tissue blocks (-80°C):

  • (transmural) left ventricular and right ventricular samples from the areas as shown in the figure below (samples 1-14)
  • left/right atrial appendage
  • epicardial fat
  • transversal tissue of the pulmonary artery/veins, ascending aorta, and coronary arteries (LAD, RCx, RCA)

2. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue of:

  • (transmural) left ventricular and right ventricular samples from the areas as shown in the figure below (samples 1-14)
  • LAD/RCA/RCx decalcified parrafin embedded material
  • tricuspid valve, mitral valve, pulmonary valve, aortic valve
  • SA-node, AV-node
  • Left-/Right-atrium
  • Photos of a wide range of (immuno-)histochemical stainings of cardiac tissues are available upon request

3. Myocardial tissue of area 8&11 as shown in the figure below are also available for electron microscope analysis

4. Serum & Plasma samples obtained during the autopsy from the right ventricle

* If additional bio-banking is desirable for future research projects, please contact us to explore the possibilities.

** Quality checks are carried out periodically to check and guarantee the quality of the material. Details about the procedure and the results will follow as soon as they are available.