I am the National Operational Coordinator for the QUOD (Quality in Organ Donation) programme and Manager of the Oxford Transplant Biobank (OTB). The QUOD biobank is a collection of biological samples and relevant clinical data collected across the UK by key professionals involved in organ donation and transplantation.
The aim of the QUOD initiative is to improve the quality of procured organs for transplantation through improving understanding of the mechanisms of injury and repair to donor organs. The QUOD national bio-repository provides a wide range of high-quality samples to researchers seeking to optimise all aspects of organ donation and transplantation. It will also facilitate a platform for testing novel therapeutic strategies in the donor that can improve the outcome of transplantation.
My role is to develop and maintain the infrastructure required for sample procurement, storage and distribution, to coordinate the process of sample and data collection by liaising with QUOD regional teams based across the UK, whilst complying with the regulatory and ethical requirements set out by the Human Tissue Act (2004) and the National Research Ethics Service. I am also responsible for quality assurance and management of the local QUOD and OTB teams.