Biobanks

Jewish General Hospital (JGH) biobanks

Where patients can be active in cancer research

The JGH biobanks house biological samples like blood and tissues that are donated by patients treated at the Jewish General Hospital. We make these samples accessible to the scientists so that they can develop novel ways of preventing, diagnosing and treating cancer.

We encourage patients to join the fight to find a cure for cancer by actively supporting basic and translational medical research. Each patient sample is unique, and samples from one patient opens up so many avenues for research that goes beyond one specific study. The advancement of scientific knowledge and the improvement in cancer patient care are made possible thanks to our participants.

What is a biobank and why is it important to you? 

  • A biobank stores human biological samples.
  • Paired with medical information, these samples are powerful tools for cancer research and personalized medicine.
  • By participating in the biobank project, you help advance the future medical care for yourself and for all other patients.

Learn more about biobanks

About Us  

There are 6 biobanks at the Jewish General Hospital. Each biobank collects samples of one or more specific tumor types or therapies.

  • Central Biobank (gastro intestinal, head and neck cancers)
  • Breast Cancer Biobank
  • Gynecologic Cancer Biobank
  • Lymphoma Biobank
  • Montreal Immune Related Adverse Events (MIRAE) Biobank (related to cancer immunotherapies)
  • McGill Clinical Genomics (McG) Biobank (related to risk of common complex, rare and infectious diseases)

Learn more

For Patients & Families

We rely entirely on the donations from patients treated at the Jewish General Hospital. As of November 2018, more than 7,000 patients volunteered to participate in our projects. Learn more about the steps involved!

For Researchers

Researchers need to submit applications to obtain access to the samples stored at the JGH biobanks. All applications are subject to each biobank’s internal review and to the evaluation from the Research Ethics Board of the CIUSSS West Central Montreal.

To request samples

Publications

Samples provided by our patients enable innovative scientific research, providing better understanding of how cancers develop and spread. These research efforts lead to novel insights on how to best prevent, detect and treat them, especially in the context of personalized medicine. Click to find out more about the impact of our participants’ contribution!

Selected list of publications

Contact us

JGH Biobank

Director

Coordinator(s)

Contact information

Central Biobank

Alan Spatz

Reem Merza

 reem.merza.ccomtl@ssss.gouv.qc.ca

Breast Cancer Biobank

Mark Basik

Josiane Lafleur

Adriana Aguilar

Urszula Krzemien

 jlafleur@jgh.mcgill.ca

Gynecologic Cancer Biobank

Walter Gotlieb

Amber Yasmeen

Angela Tatar

 amber.yasmeen@mail.mcgill.ca

Lymphoma Biobank (Leukemia Cell Bank of Quebec – lymphoma axis)

Nathalie Johnson

Liliana Stoica

Mher Aghajanyan

 lilia_stoica@yahoo.ca

Montreal Immune Related Adverse Events (MIRAE) Biobank

Marie Hudson

Manuel Flores Molina

 Manuel.Flores.Molina.ccomtl@ssss.gouv.qc.ca
McGill Clinical Genomics (McG) BiobankBrent Richards  info@mcgillclingen.ca

Page last updated on 

We always seek feedback to make our site better.