Biopreservation and Biobanking最新文献

Biobanks can consume a lot of financial resources and some biobanks have a poor record of utilization. This suggests the need for better planning by these biobanks around what new biospecimens to collect and store and more deliberate approaches to determine the value of existing biospecimen collections to make operational decisions. Existing biospecimen collections may comprise part of the biobank inventory (where decisions are needed around availability or continued storage) or external collections (where decisions are needed to consider their addition to the inventory). However, there has been limited discussion about how to value these collections. This paper proposes a guideline for the valuation of existing collections based on a two-stage process that involves consideration of features under two broad categories: "ELSI" factors and "Biospecimen and Data" factors. The first "initial-valuation" stage is based on the consideration of five key questions related to each of the main factors and will, in many instances, suffice. This approach can identify salient features of a collection that may have a dominant impact on the value. However, in other instances, a second "extended-valuation" stage may be needed to make a more in-depth assessment of the features of a collection. The overall value can then be summarized and/or assigned a score and compared with valuations of comparable collections. The latter might include another collection occupying a similar storage volume within the biobank, a collection from a similar group of donors, or a similar collection stored by another affiliated biobank. In summary, we hope that these guidelines and discussion serve to highlight key factors and an approach to valuing existing collections to improve biobanking efficiency and sustainability.

Sampling skin fragments has been an important strategy for genetic studies and ex situ conservation, aiding in the preservation of genetic diversity in Neotropical deer and other wild species. From the moment of collection in the field, transport media must ensure tissue viability by providing the necessary nutrients until laboratory processing for culture or cryopreservation. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of temperature and storage duration on tissue viability and cell growth using two types of skin transport media: Dulbecco's modified Eagle medium (DMEM) supplemented with 15% fetal bovine serum and 0.9% physiological saline solution. Skin fragments were collected from the inguinal region of five captive gray-brocket deer (Subulo gouazoubira) and divided into small samples, which were randomly assigned to each transport medium. The samples were stored at 5°C and 24°C for 24 and 72 hours, followed by cryopreservation and thawing to assess histomorphology, apoptosis (TUNEL test), cell growth, viability (Trypan blue and MTT assay), and mitotic index. The results showed that physiological saline solution is as efficient as DMEM in maintaining tissue viability, with 80% of viable cells observed and no significant difference after storing in different skin transport media (p > 0.05). Cell morphology and apoptosis did not change in response to media, temperature, or storage duration. We recovered metaphases from all skin tissue storing conditions, with a similar mitotic index to those presented in other cell culture studies from deer biopsies. These results showed the feasibility of storing skin tissue samples during 24 and 72 hours at 5°C and 24°C in different transport media guaranteeing the cell growth and viability for genetic studies and reproductive biotechnologies. The study may contribute to sampling collection in places where displacement with large equipment is limited, allowing the establishment of simplified skin transport protocols as an important step to accessing genetic material from individuals inhabiting isolated localities.

Introduction: Biobanks are a foundational infrastructure supporting research at scale and contributing to scientific progress. The increasing collection of samples and associated data presents challenges in terms of both physical and digital storage and handling. In North America and Europe health data protection frameworks have been in place for several years, regulating the use of collected personal data, including health care data, as those typically used by human biobanks. Yet, regulatory frameworks for biobanking, particularly in low- and middle-income settings, are highly fragmented, and little is known in this area. Objectives: This review focuses on identifying the health-related data protection frameworks in sub-Saharan African countries, as they are relevant to biobanking. Methods: We used complementary literature review approaches to ensure the completeness of our results for biobanking identified as "African," as well as for "disease-based," "country-based," and artificial intelligence-based approaches. Results: In total, 56 articles were identified and reviewed in full, 31 health-related acts and frameworks relevant to biobanking, and 24 general data protection acts and frameworks from 37 countries. In some countries, such as Kenya and Zambia, these acts were implemented, in some others, they were not. In most cases, as these regulatory frameworks have been recently created and implemented, there are little or no data relating to the impact of their implementation. Conclusion: Our findings confirm that regulatory frameworks for biobanking in sub-Saharan Africa are still in a consistent period of emergence, in an effort by national governments to address the existing fragmented landscape and support the development of research.

Introduction: Rare disease research in South Africa (SA) faces significant challenges, including limited prioritization and awareness, which hinder advancements in patient care and scientific discovery. This article explores the recruitment strategies employed by the Centre for Human Metabolomics (CHM) Biobank, a nonhospital-based academic rare disease biobank, to address these challenges. Methods: We explain the consent process and documents as well as the three recruitment models employed, namely (1) Recruitment via referring clinician, (2) implementation of monthly diagnostic follow-up sessions, and (3) recruitment of patients for specific projects through clinic-based recruitment drives. Discussion: We discuss the benefits as well as the challenges of each model. Challenges included clinician and patient time constraints, distrust from current consent practices, and limited public awareness. We elaborate on future strategies to address these gaps such as simplifying consent, expanding recruitment sites, collaborating with clinical, academic and public institutions, and raising public awareness of the role of the CHM Biobank. Conclusions: From the models employed over the past 5 years, it is evident that recruitment is most effective when patients perceive a direct benefit, such as involvement in active projects. These strategies outlined in the discussion are crucial for ensuring the CHM Biobank's sustainability, diversity, and its impact on scientific research and patient outcomes in SA.

This article provides an update on the current state of decarbonization efforts in biobanking, reflecting on the evolving discussions at the annual meetings of the International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories (ISBER). Following roundtable discussions at the 2021 and 2023 meetings, the 2024 ISBER meeting, which was held in Melbourne, Australia, featured a symposium, workshop, and posters dedicated to decarbonization, highlighting its growing significance on a global scale. The introduction of the term "green biobanking" at this meeting marked a pivotal moment, revealing that current decarbonization efforts in biobanking are largely piecemeal and lack a comprehensive, strategic approach. The goal of this article is to clarify the concept of green biobanking and update the community on the latest developments, while carefully outlining potential pathways for future innovation without pressuring biobankers to adopt existing technologies. The discussion includes insights from experts across various sectors. These include experts from the World Health Organization, biobanks in high-income countries, and low- and middle-income countries, as well as from the Canadian academia, preservation technology, industry, artificial intelligence, and education sectors. The authors emphasize the need for collaboration among all stakeholders to drive the field forward through creative disruption and pave the way for a sustainable future in biobanking.

Objectives: Personalized medicine emphasizes prevention and early diagnosis by developing genetic screening and biomarker assessment tools. Biobanks, including University of Piemonte Orientale (UPO) Biobank, support this effort by providing high-quality biological samples collected, processed, and stored using optimized standardized protocols. To determine the optimal long-term storage conditions for biospecimens used in biomedical research, we evaluated plasma and serum samples cryopreserved using two storage methods, cryovials and straws, across various analytical methodologies with differing sensitivity and robustness. Design and Methods: Plasma and serum samples cryopreserved in liquid nitrogen in vials and straw at the UPO Biobank were subjected to multiple analyses including standard biochemical laboratory analysis, targeted lipidomics, untargeted proteomics, and targeted metabolites quantification through mass spectrometry-based analytical techniques. Results: Our data demonstrate the robustness and applicability of both storage methods for standard laboratory analyses in evaluating clinically relevant markers in plasma and serum. Lipidomic analysis revealed slight disparities in lipid abundance, though these differences were mostly confined to specific lipid species, particularly fatty acids. Conversely, proteomic and metabolomic analyses uncovered variations in abundance in a significant, albeit limited, fraction of analytes between vials and straw-derived samples. Conclusions: By highlighting similarities and differences in samples stored in these conditions, this study provides significant insights into optimizing biobanking practices and understanding the factors that influence the integrity of cryopreserved biospecimens and the reliability of the data derived from them. Both straws and vials are convenient and efficient cryopreservation methods, essentially equivalent for samples dedicated to robust and relatively low-sensitive standardized analyses. However, our findings emphasize the need for caution when interpreting omics data from samples subjected to different cryopreservation methods, as subtle variations can arise even with different types of containers.

Biobanking is crucial for advancing medical research and personalized medicine, offering high-quality biospecimens for studies on biomarkers, drug development, and diagnostics. Despite its global potential, challenges such as fragmented governance and varying standards hinder biorepository collaboration, particularly in South Africa (SA). A unified national biobank network could enhance research and healthcare by improving biospecimen access, ethical governance, and collaboration. Global biobank networks offer models for standardization, data sharing, and international cooperation. SA can benefit from these models by creating a centralized biobank platform, promoting capacity building, and fostering regional and global partnerships. To address the challenges SA faces regarding biobanking, the Medical Biobanks Cluster established a network named Medical Biorepositories of SA (MBirSA), which seeks to build a cohesive network of medical biorepositories in SA. Through this network, it plans to foster an inclusive culture of biospecimen and data protocol harmonization, while encouraging adherence to legal, ethical, and quality best practices and standards. The network aims to bring stakeholders together, increasing visibility and transparency, and encouraging sector-wide collaboration. MBirSA also aims to offer training to build capacity in global best practices, aid in the development of dependable biorepository infrastructure, and promote research partnerships to enhance healthcare advancements.