The personnel of the scientific and technical services or Core Facilities of VHIR (VHIR-CF) are a selection of multidisciplinary professionals that offer specific cutting-edge solutions for all needs that may arise during the biomedical research process. Every unit is led by a manager responsible for the day-to-day supervision of the activities, assessing the quality of the service and the attention received by clients.

The services available range from a one-off service to the creation of a complete project from the outset, through the transfer of practical knowledge, the organisation of workshops or training in the areas of knowledge that fall within the remit of the VHIR-CF.

The Vall d'Hebron University Hospital Biobank (VHUH Biobank) is a research support unit that collects human biological samples for the purposes of biomedical research in compliance with the prevailing legislation. The aim is to provide the scientific community with the biological material necessary for research under optimum conditions, thus guaranteeing research competitiveness and excellence.

The VHUH Biobank provides research groups with the following services:

• Processing and storage of samples in -80 ºC lab freezers.
• Transfer of human samples for biomedical research projects.
• Advice on:
  • Ethical and legal aspects of obtaining and using biological samples of human origin for biomedical research
  • Technical/methodological procedures for correctly obtaining, processing, storing and using biological samples of human origin for biomedical research.

The centralised and cross departmental nature of the Biobank allows it to manage collections of samples of different types and pathologies, using advanced tools for the processing, storage and traceability of the high number of samples and associated data. Everything is constantly updated and assessed by specialised personnel.

The Clinical Research Support Unit (USIC) provides assistance to the development of clinical research –clinical trials and other clinical research projects– within the setting of the Vall d’Hebron Barcelona Hospital Campus, providing its users with:

• Medical consulting rooms: seven fully equipped consulting rooms for monitoring and examining patients included in the clinical trials.
• Nursing support: a room for extractions and drug infusions.
• Sample processing laboratory, for processing and conserving clinical samples.

Furthermore, researchers carrying out their projects or trials at the USIC will also have access to an archive for the documentation generated by the studies, as well as areas for meetings, monitoring and audits or inspections.

The aim of the Academic Research Organisation (ARO) platform is to help researchers and promoters to carry out their clinical research projects at the Vall d’Hebron Barcelona Hospital Campus.

Thanks to its multidisciplinary team and the collaboration of other units at the Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), the ARO platform offers a complete package in order to manage, from start to finish, the necessary activities to perform the trials (from phase I to phase IV) and clinical studies. It also provides advice to the team of researchers and promoters on how to obtain the best experimental design and the organisational options to maximise the resources of their projects.

ARO forms part of the Clinical Research Support Platform, a platform funded by the Carlos III Health Institute through the ISCIII Platforms project to support R&D&I in Biomedicine and Health Science

The aim of the Ethics Committees Support Unit (USCE) is to improve the quality and efficiency of the actions carried out by the Vall d’Hebron University Hospital Drug Research Ethics Committee (CEIM) and the Animal Experimentation Ethics Committee (CEEA) in accordance with the prevailing Catalan, state and European legislation.

The USCE works closely with the CEIM, undertaking the duties of Technical/Administrative Secretary of the CEIM managing the evaluation requests presented to the CEIM for :

• Clinical Trials with medicines (AC),
• Clinical research with health products (ICPS),
• Observational Studies with medicines (EOMs)
• Other Research Projects (PR)

Also providing support to the CEIM in the preparation of evaluation reports and monitoring.

The USCE works closely with the CEEA, undertaking the duties of Administrative Secretary of the CEEA and managing all the necessary documentation for the evaluation of new procedures and projects involving animal experimentation, as well as processing the authorisation by the Department of Territory and Sustainability of the Generalitat of Catalonia It also provides support in the application for the approval of personnel using laboratory animals.

The USCE is responsible for the start-up of the “Specialised Course for Clinical Trials Assistants” run by the VHIR, as well as other training initiatives by Lead Researchers of the centre in areas associated with the submission of evaluation requests to the CEIM.

The unit is also responsible for overseeing the clinical research document database.

The High Technology Unit (UAT) is a scientific and technical support unit that provides researchers with the latest generation equipment and specialised technical assessment, offering different services for its five platforms (Genomics, Cytometrics, Molecular Diagnosis, Metabolomics and Microscopy):

• The processing of samples using different experimental techniques such as micro-arrays, quantification and control of the quality of nucleic acids, cellular analysis and separation using flow cytometry, multiplex analysis, conventional and confocal optical microscopy.
• Technical support and training in the use of a variety of equipment.
• Fine tuning of bioanalytical protocols and methods using mass spectrometry.
• Custom services in relation to the different technologies offered.
• Assessment in experimental design, technical execution and data analysis.
• Technical support in the preparation of scientific and technical documents (budgets, project proposals, articles, protocols).
• Technological training activities.

The UAT works in accordance with the requirements of the ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System

The Statistics and Bioinformatics Unit (UEB) promotes the use and development of modern statistical and bioinformatics resources for research carried out within its remit.

The main objectives of the UEB are to:

• Provide statistical, methodological and bioinformatics support for clinical and biomedical research, mainly at our centre, but also to the rest of the community.
• Contribute to training in statistics and bioinformatics for clinical and biomedical research, through its own courses and participation in regulated training within the scope of the Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIR).
• Carry out innovation and development activities in the area of statistics and bioinformatics, particularly where this may result in an improvement to the functions and services of the unit.

The Experimental Surgery Unit (ESU) has a long tradition and vast experience in working with large animal models (rabbits, pigs, mini-pigs and sheep), specifically, in translational research, given experimentation on large animals is generally the step prior to clinical trials. It serves as a transversal support tool and testing bench for research and for education and training. It plays a significant role in the latter, given that it allows the training of healthcare workers in cutting-edge techniques.

It has the facilities and operating theatres to refine new techniques in transplants, heart and orthopaedic surgery, robotic surgery and virtual reality, as well as medical devices.

The ESU is compliant with the requirements of ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System.

The aim of the Lab Animal Service (LAS) is to provide quality and added value services for projects that use rodent animal models (mice and rats), providing support and working as an extension of the research team. The LAS team has vast experience in the design and fine tuning of preclinical studies, efficiency and concept, guaranteeing maximum scientific rigour at all times, the terms agreed and with full compliance with the prevailing legislation regarding animal welfare (3Rs concept: Replacement, Reduction and Refinement).

The LAS has a surface area of 1,347 m² and has been designed to provide its service to the entire Vall d’Hebron Campus and external users, meeting the highest of quality standards with regard to equipment, facilities and human team. The LAS has an integrated Preclinical Imaging platform that caters for different optical, anatomical and molecular imaging formats, specifically for rodents.