Unidad CIBER

The Pulmonary Biobank Consortium CIBERES (PBC) is a nonprofit biobank network structure whose activity is advised by external committees, whose aims is facilitate the translational research in the field of Respiratory Diseases and related, with the objective of improving the diagnosis and treatment, providing quality samples and associated clinical data to national and international researchers.
CIBERER Biobank (CBK) is a public-non-profit-making biobank set up by the Center for Biomedical Network Research on Rare Diseases (CIBERER). The CBK centralizes the reception of high quality human samples connected with rare diseases in Spain.
The CIBER-CNB/CSIC unit comprises a molecular biology laboratory, where new animal models are designed and generated, and two central facilities for phenotyping purposes, one for Histology and one for the Cryopreservation of Mouse Embryos.
The Neurobiology of Hearing group/Non-Invasive Neurofunctional Evaluation facility (IIBAS-CSIC & CIBERER) supports in vivo auditory research by providing access to state-of-the-art equipment, expertise, training, and phenotyping services in laboratory animals.

Services

Collections of human samples of respiratory diseases

Supply of:
– Tissue samples and blood products.
– Consensus and standardized clinical data.
– Images (Computed Tomography) in DICOM files.
Sample processing (histological, cellular and molecular techniques).
Creation of new sample collections in multicenter studies.
Storage of sample collections.
Management of shipments of national and international samples.
Control and monitoring of multicenter sample collections.
Establishment of the quality management system.
Access to a standardized data recording platform.
Scientific-technical, ethical and legal advice for the creation and use of collections.
Advice on the management and creation of biobanks.
Collections of human samples of rare diseases.

Collections of human samples of rare diseases

CELLULAR TECHNIQUES
Isolation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells
Immortalization of B lymphocytes
Fibroblast culture
Immortalization of fibroblasts
Mycoplasma detection
Plasma extraction
Myoblast culture

MOLECULAR TECHNIQUES
DNA and RNA extraction (peripheral blood, cultured cells, tissue and saliva)
Quantification of DNA and RNA by spectrophotometry (NanoDrop 2000)
Genetic fingerprint (cell lines, DNA)
DNA integrity analysis

PROCESSING OF BIOLOGICAL FLUIDS
Serum, plasma and urine

Animal models and services
Molecular Biology Laboratory
• Design and generation of new genetically modified animal models
• Design and generation of new genetically edited animal models
• Mouse model for oculocutaneous albinism type 1A (albino/YRT2)
• Mouse model for oculocutaneous albinism type 1B (albino/YRT4)
• Mouse model for oculocutaneous albinism type 1B (TyrINS5′)
• Mouse model for oculocutaneous albinism type 1B (TyrINS3′)

histology unit
• Preparation of a paraffin block
• Cut a block of paraffin
• Staining with Hematoxylin/Eosin or Cresyl Violet and mounting (paraffin).
• Preparation of a frozen block (cryostat)
• Cut a frozen block (cryostat)
• Staining with hematoxylin/eosin or cresyl violet and mounting (frozen)
• Preparation of a plastic block (Historesin)
• Cut a block of plastic (Historesin)
• Staining with hematoxylin/eosin or cresyl violet and mounting (plastic)
• Masson’s Trichrome stain and mounting
• PAS staining and mounting
• Van Gieson-Elastin staining and mounting
• Sirius Red staining and mounting
• Other procedures (specific stains, immunohistochemistry…)

Mouse embryo cryopreservation unit
• Cryopreservation of mouse embryos
• Cryopreservation of mouse sperm
• Thawing mouse embryos
• In vitro fertilization from frozen mouse sperm
• In vitro fertilization from fresh mouse sperm
• Embryo transfer to pseudopregnant females
• Importation of refrigerated sperm/epididymis
• Maintenance of cryptopreserved vials in liquid nitrogen
• Mouse genotyping
• Loan of vapor phase nitrogen containers
• Mouse embryos to validate equipment and procedures
Neurofunctional Evaluation
• Hearing evaluation in biomedical research and other contexts.
o Characterization of genetically modified mice and other experimental models in various animal species.
o Development of animal models of ototoxicity and noise-induced hearing loss.
o Pharmacology and Toxicology.
o Otic degeneration and regeneration.
o Evaluation of animal models in surgical or behavioral studies.
o Studies of age-related hearing loss.
• Neurofunctional evaluation of other systems.
o Vestibular phenotyping.
o Somatosensory evoked potentials.
o Neuromuscular evaluation and nerve conduction velocity test.
• Morphological and molecular analysis of the cochlea:
o Collection of cochlear and vestibular samples for histology or molecular studies.
o Whole mount preparations of organ of Corti for quantification of hair cells.
o Filling the inner ear with paint.
o Specific stains and immunohistochemistry.
o Anatomopathological study.