Karubiotec™ the Human Biobank of Guadeloupe (French West Indies): A Driver Towards Caribbean Health Research

Abstract

Karubiotec™ is a mono-site Biological Resources Center (BRC) and the only human biobank of Guadeloupe. It is an infrastructure of the University Hospital of Guadeloupe, which governed it. Located inside the hospital it is equipped with a molecular biology platform that allows all the processes from reception to preparation, storage and transfer of biological resources and their associated clinical data. These data are either part of specific research projects or of the BRC’s own research programs. After studying requests, Karubiotec™ can provide samples from blood (serum, plasma, cells, DNA, RNA), secretions and tissues for most common diseases found in the Caribbean [1], in respect of ethics requirements according to the proposed use. Paraffin blocks and slides from pathology units are also collected for some cancer sites for research reuse.