Biological Resource Centre (CRB)

The CRB of the CHU de Nantes manages biocollections in order to provide research teams with high-quality raw materials and contribute to the excellence of their scientific projects.

Missions

It helps researchers to develop biocollections that meet their needs, while respecting the rights of individuals and complying with regulatory requirements.
It ensures optimal conditions for sample preparation and storage according to specific quality standards. Each sample can be tracked from the time it is received to the time it leaves the CRB using MO-Crb software.

Expertises

Sample preparation and freezing from fresh samples: aliquoting of fluids (blood, serum, plasma, urine) and faeces, isolation of PBMC and buffy coat, immunomagnetic sorting of cell subpopulations, freezing of cells in DMSO, RLT, Trizol, dry pellets and stepwise (PAXgene tubes)
Extraction and spectrophotometric assay of nucleic acids: Genomic DNA (cell pellets, blood or buccal swabs), RNA (blood swabs, PAXgene tubes) and DNA from bacterial microbiota (faeces, urine)
Storage of pre-prepared samples: inventory, verification of labelling, safe storage and preservation at different temperatures
Management of data associated with samples
Participation in cohorts and clinical trials
Distribution of CRB resources in agreement with biocollection managers.

Samples composition

More than 600,000 samples of blood, serum, plasma, milk, saliva, urine, faeces, swabs, biopsies, cerebrospinal fluid, BAL, DNA and RNA
More than 150 collections relating to pathologies of the cardiovascular, digestive, endocrine, immune, lymphatic, nervous, respiratory and urinary systems, or to infectious and paediatric diseases: Cardiac arrhythmias, chronic inflammatory bowel disease, hypercholesterolaemia, atopic dermatitis, blood disorders, addictions, lung and kidney transplantation, sudden infant death syndrome...

Access to the catalogue

Data Base

A computer tool (MO-Crb software, co-financed by the Regional Council of Pays de la Loire and the University Hospital) allows the traceability of samples and the recording of the associated data. It allows :

the complete traceability of a sample from its reception to its delivery
management of :
- collections
- donor data
- donor consents
- data relating to the sample itself
- the availability of samples
- collaborations
- contracts
monitoring of the CRB's activities

As the CRB is multi-thematic, it cannot manage all the clinical-biological data related to the various collections. This management is the responsibility of the scientific managers of the collections, who generally have databases specific to their themes.

Network

Locally, the CRB of Nantes University Hospital works with the Tumour Bank to harmonise practices.

In particular, the CRB of the University Hospital of Nantes participates in:

National, European or international clinical trials or cohort projects: BioMIN, COLT, COV-POPART, CryoSem, DIVAT, EPAD, EU-TRAIN, GLUCOGEN, IGOS, MICI Sars-Cov2, OFSEP, CKD-Rein, KTD-Innov, etc.
in the network of university hospital CRBs for the Research and Innovation Commission of the Conference of General Directors of University Hospitals
in the association of CRBs Club 3CRB.