Stability of serum biochemical markers during standard long-term storage and with a single thawing

Approaches to automation of the preanalytical phase of large-scale research in the biobank of the National Medical Research Center for Therapy and Preventive Medicine of the Ministry of Health of Russia

Aim. To create and validate an algorithm for automatic aliquoting of serum and plasma samples for biobanking as part of a large-scale study.

Material and methods. Biobank of the National Medical Research Center for Therapy and Preventive Medicine is equipped with a Tecan automated aliquoting system. When compiling the aliquoting program (script), the following parameters were selected: the time spent on spotting one complete cryobox, with a capacity of 96 cryotubes, the optimal number of vacutainers and tips for a single loading of the device. The program was created to receive 12 aliquots of 0,5 ml of blood serum, plasma with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and plasma with sodium citrate in cryotubes per 1 ml from eight participants in total from each in one cycle of device loading. Automatic and manual spotting was assessed in terms of the time spent on sample preparation and the quality of the aliquots obtained.

Results. A methodology for conducting the preanalytical phase of a  large-scale study based on the automation of biosample aliquoting has been developed and validated. We created scripts for aliquoting serum and blood plasma at the automated Tecan Freedom EVO system. An experiment conducted on biomaterial from 64 participants showed, that with an expected flow of 32 participants per day, it took more than 2 hours for manual aliquoting, and for automatic aliquoting (4 launches of the aliquot robot for 24 vacutainers from 8 participants) — less than 1,5 hours with the complete exclusion of human errors.

Conclusion. Automated aliquoting has a following number of advantages in comparison with manual: it allows to guarantee standardization and efficiency of sample preparation, reduce the time and increase the accuracy of aliquoting of biomaterial, save space in long-term storage freezers due to the use of smaller cryotubes. The developed algorithm for creating aliquoting programs and calculating the optimal use of consumables can be used in other projects.

Influence of long-term storage of blood serum samples in a biobank for population-based seroepidemiologic studies

Aim. To assess the safety of IgG antibodies during long-term storage of blood serum samples using measles- and rubella-specific antibodies as an example.

Material and methods. The study used serum samples from the collection of the Department of Epidemiology of the Gamaleya National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiologya, which were tested for measles- or rubella-specific IgG antibodies immediately upon admission to the laboratory, were frozen and stored at -70оC (n=180). The samples were reexamined after 20 months (n=90) and 6 years (n=90).

Results. Reexamination after 20-month storage showed a decrease in the mean level of measles- and rubella-specific antibodies by 13,1% (from 0,36 (0,08-1,21) to 0,31 (0,02-1,2) IU/ml) and by 11,8% (from 151,4 (45-235) to 133,5 (72-198) IU/ml), respectively (p<0,05 for all). At the same time, the number of seronegative samples did not change. After a 6-year storage period, the mean level of measles-specific antibodies decreased by 33,8% (p<0,05) from 0,72 (0,4-1,79) to 0,34 (0,18-1,14) IU/ml and only two samples became seronegative. It was shown that the higher the IgG level in native samples, the more pronounced its decrease was during the second examination.

Conclusion. Storage of serum samples in a biobank for 20 months at -70оC ensures the safety of measles- and rubella-specific IgG antibodies, and is the basis for the reliability of future studies.

Quality management of biosampling and data collection from women at different stages of pregnancy for the search for early biomarkers of preterm birth: predicting errors and risk management

The main condition for ensuring effective sampling for creating a bioresource collection is quality management, which implies careful planning and predicting errors at all stages. Risk management of samples and data loss is ensured by correct logistics, circumspect algorithms and standardization of processes. Features of the logistic processes for creating biosample collection from the pregnant women are described in this article.

Role of biobanking in managing large-scale epidemiological studies

The success and quality of large-scale epidemiological studies depends entirely on biomaterial quality. Therefore, when arranging the third Epidemiology of Cardiovascular Diseases and their Risk Factors in Regions of Russian Federation (ESSE-RF-3) study, increased attention was paid to specifics of collection, processing and further transportation of biological samples and related clinical and anthropometric data of participants from regional collection centers to Biobank.

Aim. To develop a methodology for collection of high-quality biomaterials within the large-scale epidemiological study, involving the sampling, processing, freezing of blood and its derivatives (serum, plasma) in the regions, followed by transportation and storage of obtained biomaterial in the Biobank of National Medical Research Center for Therapy and Preventive Medicine (Moscow).

Material and methods. To conduct the ESSE-RF-3 study, a design was developed, according to which the collection of venous blood samples in a total volume of 29,5 ml from each participant is planned in all participating regions in order to obtain and store samples of whole blood, serum and two types of plasma.

Results. On the basis of international biobanking standards, ethical norms, experience from ESSE-RF and ESSE-RF-2, and literature data, a protocol for biobanking of blood and its derivatives was developed. The type and number of serum and plasma aliquots obtained, the required standard technical means and consumables, as well as logistic biomaterial requirements were determined. Training programs for regional participants were developed. By the beginning of August 2021, 180 thousand samples of whole blood, serum and plasma from more than 23 thousand participants from 28 Russian regions were collected, processed and stored.

Conclusion. The presented work made it possible to assess and confirm the compliance of developed biobanking protocol with quality requirements. However, due to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, by August 2021, the Biobank did not reach the maximum effectiveness predicted for the ESSE-RF-3 project.