Facility checklist for biospecimen collection and storage

by Donna Russell

In determining the feasibility of establishing a biorepository at your facility, there are several key factors to consider. But first, there are a few that must be in place before commencing. They are:

  • The commitment of your institutional
  • The trust of the community within which you work
  • Informed consents that allow specimens to be used for multiple research studies
  • Vision/commitment for the distribution and sharing of biospecimens and data with the wider scientific community
We attach here the facility checklist for biospecimen collection and storage, organized by topic, along with the relevant Best Practices from ISBER, for assessing the readiness your facility. The purpose of these checklists are to 1) identify any potential barriers to setting up long-term storage of biospecimens on site; and 2) enable you to take action, as needed.

8th January 2013 • comment

Guidelines for an Integrated Approach to the Nutritional care of HIV-infected children

by Jai K Das

We share the WHO 2009 guideline that provides a framework for integrating nutrition support into the routine care of HIV-infected children (6 months-14 years). HIV-infected children deserve special attention because of their additional needs to ensure growth and development and their dependency on adults for adequate care including nutrition care and support for treatment. Vertical implementation of HIV programmes, such as PMTCT and ART, have resulted in missed opportunities to gain synergy with other existing services.

3rd January 2013 • comment