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Neuromuscular Investigation Center
Myobank-AFM biological resource centre
Myobank-AFM is a non-profit service responsible for the collection, preparation, storage and distribution of biological resources of human fluids and tissues.
Myobank-AFM
To support researchers and advance knowledge, in 1996 AFM-Téléthon created a tissue bank dedicated to research: Myobank-AFM, at the Institute of Myology. This biological resource centre (a medical and scientific centre of expertise devoted to muscle) is intended exclusively for research use, in accordance with the fundamental rights of the individual.
Under the operational responsibility of Stéphane Vasseur, Myobank-AFM aims to facilitate research into neuromuscular diseases through its mission of collecting, preparing, storing and providing fluid and tissue samples (residual surgical tissue) from patients with these diseases. Its operation and objectives match the definition of a biological resource centre and comply with the legislation in force.
Myobank holds the IBiSA label, awarded by a body that certifies and supports platforms of regional or national interest in the fields of biology, health and agronomy. The IBiSA label guarantees the quality of the activities carried out by the structures it certifies, as well as their ability to open up to the scientific community.
Myobank-AFM is housed within the Plateforme Commune de Ressources Biologiques (shared biological resource platform), located on the site of the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, as part of a partnership between patient associations and Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, the Paris public hospital system.
The biological resources of human fluids and tissues come mainly from people with neuromuscular or rare diseases, but also from healthy subjects, so that a batch of “control” material can be provided. This biological material is intended for in vitro« Dans le verre », expériences réalisées en laboratoire en dehors de l’organisme. studies, which complement the knowledge acquired before in vivo clinical investigation.
The service is open to all research teams, French or international, simply on request.
Myobank’s quality approach
Myobank operates a structured and sustainable quality management system that guarantees the traceability, regulatory compliance and reliability of the biological resources made available for research projects.
Since February 2025, Myobank has been certified to the international standard ISO 20387:2018. This certification attests to the competence of the organisation, the impartiality of its activities and the quality of the biological resources it holds. It also guarantees compliance with ethical and regulatory principles, in particular as regards data confidentiality and the protection of individuals.
This approach follows on from the NF S 96-900 certification (the French standard for biological resource centres), held by Myobank between 2012 and 2024, and reflects a strong commitment to quality and continuous improvement.
How to access the biological resources
- Review of the research project once the request has been submitted
- Receipt of the opinion of Myobank’s Scientific Advisory Board
- Organisation and transfer of the biological resources
The biological resources held for scientific research amount to more than 30,000 samples.
| Type of biological resources | Diseases |
| Skeletal and cardiac muscle, skin, “ mainly residual surgical tissue from clinical care” and fluids | Neuromuscular diseases (Duchenne muscular dystrophy, spinal muscular atrophy, facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy, rare myopathies and controls) |
Download the request form for biological resources or services (March 2024)
Download the biological resource centre charter of Myobank-AFM at the Institute of Myology (V15, January 2026, PDF)
The journey of a sample
Sample collection
Tissue and fluid samples are collected by doctors.
The following are collected:
- Residual surgical tissue, collected following a surgical procedure once patients have given their consent
- Samples taken as part of a defined clinical research protocol, in compliance with the Huriet Act
- Surplus material from biopsies performed for diagnostic purposes
- A volume of blood fluid, taken as part of clinical care
Preparation, use and preservation of tissues and fluids
Biological resources are prepared and packaged according to their intended use and following validated protocols.
The various preparations carried out on the Myobank-AFM premises allow for:
- Freezing in isopentane for morphological studies,
- Direct freezing in liquid nitrogen for biochemical studies,
- Preparation in a specific medium for RNAmacromolécule constituée d’une seule chaîne de nucléotides (simple brin) résultant de la transcription (copie) de l’ADN. studies (RNA Later®),
- Preparation in a specific medium for electron microscopy,
- Specific centrifugation for ‘serum-plasma’ fluids, biomarker studies
- Cryopreservation in a specific medium for cell culture.
Traceability and the transmission of information relating to the collected material or the sample are ensured by the GBC© database.
Storage and transport
At the request of researchers, Myobank-AFM can also store samples and reserve them for their use.
The mode of transport is chosen according to safety criteria and the need to maintain preservation conditions.
Myobank-AFM approvals
- Authorisation to collect, store and prepare elements of the human body with a view to their transfer for scientific use: the Myobank-AFM tissue bank was granted this authorisation in January 2025 for five years by the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research.
- Collection of biological fluid samples during standard care, for exploratory research studies in neuromuscular diseases. The CPP Tours (French research ethics committee) issued a favourable opinion. The collection project is approved until 2028.
- Authorisation to manage automated data files: to ensure full traceability of samples and to manage collaborations, Myobank-AFM has developed software specific to the activities of a biological resource centre. Use of this software was authorised following a favourable opinion from the Commission Nationale de l’Informatique et des Libertés, the French data protection authority, in particular for the management of donor consent.
Collaborations
Myobank-AFM is one of the divisions of the Institute of Myology Association (‘Association Institut de Myologie’ in French), an interactive platform between clinical practice and research.
Myobank-AFM is affiliated with the Plateforme de Ressources Biologiques de l’Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière (the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital biological resource platform) and therefore works closely with the hospital departments of the Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris.
Myobank-AFM is a member of the European network of biological material banks, Eurobiobank (www.eurobiobank.org), which now brings together 25 members, including 22 banks in nine European countries as well as in Israel and Canada.
Specific collaboration: myoblast and fibroblast cell cultures, or the immortalisation of these cells, can be carried out in collaboration with Myobank-AFM partners, in particular the Généthon cell bank (BADN) and the MyoLine platform of the Center of Research in Myology.
We need you
Do you or your child have a neuromuscular disease, with surgery already scheduled? You can help research into your disease by authorising us to collect, through your surgeon, tissue regarded as “residual surgical tissue”, which would normally be incinerated after an operation. Thanks to this donation, Myobank-AFM will make tissue available to research teams for strictly scientific purposes.
Taking part is very simple
- Contact us 72 hours before the operation.
- Myobank-AFM will then contact your doctor and handle all the necessary arrangements so that the collection can go ahead successfully.
Without your involvement and your consent,
we cannot collect any tissue.
We are counting on you to help us advance research.
Download the tissue donation card
Team members
- Stéphane Vasseur, operations manager & quality manager
- Maud Chapart-Leclert, research assistant
Contact Myobank-AFM
Do you have a suggestion, a complaint or a question? Please fill in this form so that we can process your request. If you need help filling in the form, please contact us at myobank-afm@institut-myologie.org.