The Chernobyl Tissue Bank is a unique venture. It is the first international cooperation that seeks to establish a collection of biological samples from tumours and normal tissues from patients for whom the aetiology of their disease is known-exposure to radioiodine in childhood. The project was initially supported by the EU, and is now jointly funded by the EU, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) of the USA, Sasakawa Memorial Health Foundation of Japan (SMHF) and the World Health Organization (WHO). The project is coordinated from Swansea University and has the full support of the Governments of the Russian Federation and Ukraine.

 The main objective of this project is to provide a research resource for both ongoing and future studies of the health consequences of the Chernobyl accident. It seeks to maximize the amount of information obtained from small pieces of tumour by providing multiple aliquots of RNA and DNA extracted from well-documented pathological specimens to a number of researchers worldwide and to conserve this valuable material for future generations of scientists. It exists to promote collaborative, rather than competitive, research on a limited biological resource. 

For further information, visit the project website at http://www.chernobyltissuebank.com