Overview
The purpose of establishing a biorepository is to provide high quality specimens (serum, plasma, buffy coat and liver tissue) for future researchers who are studying the effects that fatty liver and viral diseases have on the liver.
Description
The Biorepository at the University at Buffalo has been established to collect biological samples from patients with various types of liver disease. The objectives of this biorepository are to stimulate collaboration between clinicians and researchers, to bolster training of junior investigators and to promote multidisciplinary integration to advance translational medicine and to improve the health of patients all over the country. The purpose of this biorepository is to support investigators and to provide them with high quality specimens to promote their efforts in new discoveries or perfecting treatment of patients with liver diseases caused by Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH), Hepatitis C Virus (HCV), Hepatitis B Virus (HBV), and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). The goal is to obtain samples that represent patients seen in the clinics of medical centers in Western NY and from some of the rarer diseases encountered in these clinics. The ultimate goal is to develop the biorepository as Western New York's resource for clinically annotated human samples that can be used to conduct research that could lead to significant advances in patient care.
Eligibility
Inclusion Criteria:
- This protocol is to establish a biobank of blood samples from individuals with or without liver diseases including viral hepatitis, liver cancer, NASH, and negative control samples.
- Children and teenagers will be special populations considered in this protocol.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Vulnerable populations such as adults unable to consent, infants, pregnant women or prisoners will not be considered for this research study.