CCTS Biobank Director Discusses Heart Muscle Research and Biospecimen Repositories
LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 30, 2024) - Director of the CCTS biobank, Kenneth Campbell, PhD, was featured on the "Behind the Blue" podcast to discuss his work in heart research and building biospecimen repositories.
Campbell, who also serves as director of translational research in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine in the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, co-founded UK's Gill Cardiovascular Biorepository which is one of the largest in the world and has helped drive heart muscle research globally.
"It's probably the most important thing I'll ever do," Campbell said.
His own research to help map out an important part of the heart on a molecular level was part of a study published online in the prestigious journal Nature in 2023. The study is important for discovering new drug therapies for heart disease, the leading cause of death in Kentucky. According to the CDC, Kentucky is among the top 10 states with the highest death rate from the disease.
Campbell led the development of the CCTS biobank, which collaborates with UK Healthcare to save biospecimens from regular patient care that would otherwise be disposed of. Nearly 47,500 patients have consented to participate, and the biobank and dispersed around 6,500 samples to researchers. Specimens in the repository include buffy coat, plasman, serum, red blood, whole blood, CSF, fat, muscle, arterial plaque, and various tissues.
