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Human Heart Tissue Bank Facility
The purpose of the Human Heart Tissue Bank Facility is to accumulate a
substantial number of tissue samples from explanted failing and non-failing
un-used donor human hearts and to make these tissues available for study by
basic laboratory scientists in order to gain a better understanding of disease
processes and their potential reversal.
Professor. Cris dos Remedios is the Director of the Human Heart Tissue Bank
facility. Dr Sean Lal is the Curator of the Heart Tissue Bank.
They collect, oversee, maintain and record movements of tissue into and out
of the Bank.
The collection of human heart tissue is derived from:
 Heart transplant recipients
 Unmatched organ donors
 Dead body organ donor
 Other sources such as other tissue banks
With a system that has been in place since 1989, the complete heart of each
transplant recipient is obtained for research while the patient is undergoing
the transplantation procedure. For patients under the age of 55 years, when
the heart is removed it may be required by the Sydney Heart Valve Bank but
within minutes, the bulk of the heart is available to our team, usually within 3040 minutes of explant. Most of the tissue is isolated in small biopsies (1-1.5 g)
in cryovials and frozen in liquid nitrogen. Some of the tissue is fixed in 5%
formaldehyde for later examination by immunohistochemistry, and some of
the tissue is utilized immediately for the production of isolated cells. All frozen
tissue is maintained in liquid nitrogen (-200°C). The cyrovials are labelled with
an anonymous code (deidentified) as required by our Human Research Ethics
Committees (St Vincent’s Hospital, and The University of Sydney).
The specific tissues that are stored in the Human Heart Tissue Bank are
dissected as much as possible so they are free of fatty tissue: Approximately
100 cryovials are collected from each heart.
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Coronary arteries (if they remain available after removal of the two
semilunar values at the base of the aorta and pulmonary trunk)
including the left coronary artery and its branches, the left circumflex
artery and the anterior interventricular artery (aka LAD), and the right
coronary artery.
Left ventricular papillary muscle (sub-auricular and sub-atrial papillary
mm)
Transmural samples of the free left ventricular wall (these are sampled
in numbered vials progressing from the base to the apex and from the
anterior to the posterior free wall)
Right ventricular papillary muscle
Right ventricular free wall
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Interventricular septum
Right atrium (often with the crista terminalis and musculi pectinati
identified)
Left atrium
Ascending aorta (infrequently)
Human skeletal muscle (psoas) used as a control for non-cardiac
striated muscle.
In the case of heart tissues that were potential but un-used donors, the hearts
are perfused with chilled cardioplegic solution and transported to the Human
Heart Tissue Bank within 2-4 hours of removal of the heart.
The Human Heart Tissue Bank currently contains over 550 hearts of which
about 100 hearts are from non-failing organ donors.
No tissue is used for research purposes unless a member of the research
team from the Human Heart Tissue Bank has sighted the patient consent form
indicating consent for the use of heart tissue for research. Usually a copy of
this consent form is made at the time of collection.
At The University of Sydney, all human heart tissue is processed in the PC2
facility of the Bosch Institute. Standard operating procedures for PC2 facilities
apply.
Each cryovial is labelled with a four-digit patient code that bears no
relationship to the patients’ medical record number, nor does a vial label ever
indicate the date of birth or name of the patient.
All users of the above tissue are required to have HREC approval from their
home institute and they must provide a short (<1 page) description of their
research program and list the name and contact details of the principal
investigator. Any changes in these details require notification to the Human
Heart Tissue Bank facility. HREC approvals are obtained and updated at the
HREC Office at St Vincent’s Hospital, Darlinghurst, and at the HREC Office at
the University.
The end users who are approved by the above two bodies are expected to
publish their findings and to inform the Human Heart Tissue Bank the four
digit codes of the samples they used in their study. Once a publication is
accepted, patient code information is sent to the users of the Bank so they are
informed about specific scientific findings that may assist them in their
research programs.
Patient information is de-identified and appropriate and relevant clinical data
are recorded.
As of July 2010, approximately 20,000 tissue vials are stored in the bank.
For enquires concerning this tissue, contact the Director
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Professor Cristobal G dos Remedios
Bosch Institute,
Sydney Medical School
Department of Anatomy and Histology
The University of Sydney
Sydney 2006, Australia.
Phone +61 2 93513209
Mob: 0413 482738
Fax: +61293516547
Email: cris.dosremedios@sydney.edu.au
Or the Curator of the Human Heart Tissue Bank
Dr Sean Lal
Sydney Medical School
Department of Anatomy and Histology
The University of Sydney
Sydney 2006, Australia.
Phone +61 2 93513266
Mob: 0411549799
Fax: +61293516547
Email: sean@anatomy.usyd.edu.au
Updated July 30, 2010.