The ManARTS (Manchester Allergy, Respiratory and Thoracic Surgery) Biobank comprises of a repository of biological samples and detailed clinical information from patients with a range of different diseases, including asthma, cough, interstitial lung disease (ILD), fungal lung disease, cystic fibrosis and patients with allergies.

The biobank was established in 2011 to facilitate high quality translational research in respiratory medicine and allergies.

Most patients recruited to ManARTS Biobank are asked to donate biological samples (such as  blood/saliva, urine, sputum) for the tissue bank.  Most of the other information needed is taken from case notes, as many patients have already undergone lots of investigations within the NHS clinic.

This valuable research resource will be used most commonly by the doctors at University Hospitals of South Manchester and researchers at the University of Manchester, but other researchers from other universities and from the pharmaceutical industry will be able to apply to ManARTS Biobank to request permission to perform research using the data and samples in the biobank. Applications to the tissue bank for researchers to access samples and data for research are considered by our steering committee.