International SCI Biobank - Praxis Spinal Cord Institute Website

International SCI Biobank Launches New Website

The International Spinal Cord Injury Biobank (ISCIB) is an initiative led by Dr. Brian Kwon, Canada Research Chair in Spinal Cord Injury and Dr, Marcel Dvorak Chair in Spine Trauma and a multi-disciplinary team of experts based out of ICORD at the Blusson Spinal Cord Centre. ISCIB’s mission is to advance the understanding of the biology of SCI and share these findings with the global SCI community. Researchers from anywhere in the world can submit requests for ISCIB biospecimens, provided that the proposed research has undergone ethical review and is aligned with ISCIB’s mission statement.

Praxis proudly supports ISCIB which serves as a resource for the global SCI community. ISCIB is also supported by ICORD, Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute, the Vancouver Spine Surgery Institute, the University of British Columbia and the Rick Hansen Foundation.

To learn more or request biospecimens, visit, www.sci-biobank.org and follow them at @SCI_Biobank.

“In order to develop new therapies for spinal cord injury (SCI), we need to advance our understanding of the biology of human SCI, which may differ in important ways from animal models of SCI. Having access to human SCI biospecimens for research will help us learn more about what is really happening within the injured human spinal cord and how this relates to neurologic impairment.”

— Dr. Brian Kwon, Director, International SCI Biobank; Canada Research Chair in Spinal Cord Injury and Dvorak Chair in Spine Trauma, Dept. of Orthopaedics, University of British Columbia

International Spinal Cord Injury Biobank

Learn more about ISCIB and request a biospecimen

International SCI Biobank, Dr. Albin T. Jousse Lecture

As part of the distinguished Dr. Albin T. Jousse Lecture Series, Adam Velenosi provides an overview of the International Spinal Cord Injury Biobank.

International SCI Biobank Program Manager Adam Velenosi presents to the KITE Research Institute at UHN on “International SCI Biobank: Catalyzing Scientific Discoveries in Spinal Cord Injury Research Through the Distribution of Human Specimens.”

The presentation is part of the Dr. Albin T. Jousse Lecture Series and was recorded on February 17, 2022.

Abstract

While much basic science research has been done to elucidate the complex pathophysiology of spinal cord injury (SCI), virtually all of this research has been conducted using animal models. Due to important differences between the pathophysiology and pathobiology of human and animal SCI, further study of the effects of this devastating injury in humans is clearly warranted. The first of its kind, the International Spinal Cord Injury Biobank (ISCIB) was established in 2019 to store biospecimens and their associated data from individuals who have sustained an SCI. These materials are then made available for future research. The objective of this presentation is to provide an overview of ISCIB, the requests received to date and future directions.

Adam Velenosi is a biobanker from Vancouver, Canada with over seven years’ experience in the field of biobanking. Currently, he works at Praxis as the ISCIB Program Manager. ISCIB is a repository for human spinal cord injury specimens and associated data, established by surgeon-scientist Dr. Brian Kwon of the University of British Columbia’s International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD).