[Quality management in biobank. World tendencies and experience of biobank of FSI «NMRC for preventive medicine» of the Ministry of healthcare of Russia.]

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.

Risk management in biobanking

Risk management is a key aspect of the organization and management of biobanks, which is part of the overall quality management system aimed at early detection, analysis and minimization of events, that can lead to negative consequences for the biobank, as well as affect the quality of biosamples and related data. The article presents the biobanking risk classification with the description of each category.

Aim. To develop and implement the methodology for identification, analysis, evaluation and development of risk management measures for the biobanking process in the biobank of the National Medical Research Center for Therapy and Preventive Medicine.

Material and methods. We present the methodology of the risk management process developed on the basis of the literary data, world experience and experience of the biobank of the National Medical Research Center for Therapy and Preventive Medicine.

Results. The biobanking risk management procedure was developed and implemented in the biobank of the National Medical Research Center for Therapy and Preventive Medicine in 2020. The work carried out made it possible to identify, analyze and evaluate a wide range of potential negative events and actions that could lead to biobank damage, both in the form of financial losses and ethical and technical issues related to the biobanking process. A significant reduction in the frequency of emergency events and the high stability of the biobank operation under the influence of various external factors prove the effectiveness of the approach used.

Conclusion. The creation and maintenance of a risk management system in the biobank allows, in combination with other measures, to ensure the safety and high quality of the procedures for collecting, processing and long-term storage of biomaterial and related data by creating an environment that rules out or minimizes the impact of various risks.

Bioresource collection of cell lines and primary tumors of the National Medical Research Center of Oncology of the Ministry of Health of Russia

The Biobank of the National Medical Research Center of Oncology is a multi-layered infrastructure with large collections of biological samples, complemented by extensive and well-annotated clinical and pathological patient data, including medical images, pathological histology, and molecular analysis of biosamples. To date, the biobank of the National Medical Research Center of Oncology contains collections of primary and immortalized cancer cell lines of human origin. The collection of primary cell lines was formed from samples of postoperative material taken during the removal of tumors of various localizations (breast cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer). All cell lines underwent internal quality control for contaminants (exogenous viruses, mycoplasmas and bacterial L-forms), viability and were cultivated without antibiotics. On the basis of the collected samples, a significant number of projects in the field of biomedicine were carried out, the results of which are described in this article.

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.

From biobanking to personalized prevention of obesity, diabetes and metabolic syndrome

The growing prevalence of metabolic disorders creates an increasing demand for novel approaches to their prevention and therapy. Novel genetic diagnostic technologies are developed every year, which makes it possible to identify people who are at the highest genetic risk of diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and metabolic syndrome. Early intervention strategies can be used to prevent metabolic disorders in this group of people. Genetic risk scores (GRSs) are a powerful tool to identify people with a high genetic risk. Millions of genetic variants are analyzed in genome-wide association studies in order to combine them into GRSs. It has become possible to store and process such huge amounts of data with the help of biobanks, where biological samples are stored according to international standards. Genetic studies include more and more people every year that increases the predictive power of GRSs. It has already been demonstrated that the use of GRSs makes future preventive measures more effective. In the near future, GRSs are likely to become part of clinical guidelines so that they can be widely used to identify people at high risk for metabolic syndrome and its components.

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.

ISO 20387 biobanking standard. Analysis of requirements and experience of implementation

Currently one of the most important problems facing biobanking specialists is the standardization of biobanks operation. Close attention is paid to this issue by international biobanking organizations, such as ISBER and BBMRI-ERIC, which develop regulatory documentation in this area. The article provides examples of standardization tools - implementation of the ISO 9001 quality standard and ISBER Best Practices. General information about the development, scope, and structure of the ISO 20387 standard is provided. The standard does not provide ready-made solutions and does not contain specific requirements for storage temperature or biosamples processing in biobanks, allowing each biobank to adapt its own management system to existing conditions and needs. The standard contains requirements for both the organization of the biobanking and the supporting processes - personnel competence; requirements for biological safety; infrastructure management, including equipment used by the biobank, environmental parameters that affect the storage of biomaterial. The standard contains requirements for the quality management system of biobank, as a necessary element of the organization of any biorepository. At the initiative of the Russian National Association of biobanks and biobanking specialists (NASBIO), development of the Russian standard GOST R ISO 20387 «Biotechnology. Collection and storage of biological samples in biobanks. General requirements» is included in the plan of the National Standardization Program for 2020 by order of Rosstandart No. 2612 of 11/01/2019. Implementing quality standards is a long and painstaking process that requires the involvement of all employees and certain resources. However, the effectiveness of strict compliance exceeds the cost of developing, implementing and maintaining management systems, as it significantly increases the confidence of researchers in the work of biobanks, guarantees high quality of biospecimens and associated data, and creates opportunities for cooperation, both at the national and international level, based on the application of common quality standards in the work.