Experts talks: Tissue sourcing services to reduce research challenges

Access to biological samples for research represents a significant challenge for researchers today. This challenge is not related to the complexity of the regulatory and ethical framework governing access to biological samples but to the difficulty of obtaining quality human tissue with high viability criteria and associated clinical information in a standardized manner.

These processes are mainly complicated when researchers need to obtain fresh tissue, which is sensitive as it requires immediate operability and complex logistics.

In this interview, we chat with Estephan Arredondo, Technical Director at BeCytes, about the tissue-sourcing service, a solution to grant access to the scientific community to diverse tissues for research. BeCytes has specialized in procuring fresh human tissue to develop in vitro models that mimic the in vivo environment, such as organoids, or cell isolation.

Our interviewee, Estephan Arredondo BS, MSc, is a biologist specialized in organ, tissues, and cell donation from the University of Barcelona. He is currently the Technical Director and co-founder of Cytes Biotechnologies. He also acts as co-chair at the Allied Health Group of the Transplantation Society.

His studies are based on developing networks to procure human tissue for research and isolation of human liver cells. He has been involved in several European projects related to international cooperation in organ donation, such as the Black Sea Area and the Middle East.

How can BeCytes help researchers access quality human tissues?

BeCytes has developed a consulting service that helps researchers and pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies customize protocols for obtaining biological samples according to each region’s regulatory framework and puts researchers in contact with centers that can supply samples according to the quality criteria required by the projects.

Our tissue sourcing service was born due to the need of the researchers to obtain fresh tissue for their research and the commitment of the medical teams of our hospital network to participate in the projects.

What is the process of initiating a research project?

To initiate a research project, we interview the researchers, who explain all their requirements to us. We analyze that they comply with all the current regulations for holding, processing, and custodying biological samples.

If they do, we assign them a center within our network that can supply the samples. Once we have this alliance, we schedule working meetings between the principal investigators at the supply center and the research team to design the project together.

When the project is approved by the competent authorities, such as ethics committees, export permits, logistics, etc., we start to coordinate the obtainment of the samples according to our network potentiality.

How long will it take to receive the samples?

Once the competent authorities approve the project (this process takes around three months…), we obtain the samples according to the potentiality of the hospital. Our logistics team coordinates each operation, trying to reduce the ischemia times and grant efficient delivery in perfect conditions. We offer the best options that guarantee better quality and investment to meet the research requirements.

What are the advantages of working with BeCytes as a tissue-sourcing partner?

The main advantage of working with Becytes is the end-to-end control. BeCytes will guide you through every step of the process, from legal advice to technical recommendations. We have excellent knowledge of the legal regulations and technical experts who can support the hospitals’ extraction teams if the samples need to be processed.

Is the fresh tissue service available worldwide?

Our tissue procurement service for fresh tissue is focused on Europe for geographical and logistical reasons. Our hospital centers are mainly concentrated in Spain, although we also collaborate in the USA. Due to logistics, for other regions, we collaborate by sending samples in different formats, such as OCT, paraffin, or other formats adapted to the parameters required by the research.