{"id":3606,"date":"2015-02-10T04:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-02-10T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/?p=3606"},"modified":"2015-02-10T04:00:00","modified_gmt":"2015-02-10T09:00:00","slug":"veterinary-biobanking-harmonization-for-the-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thermofisher.com\/blog\/biobanking\/veterinary-biobanking-harmonization-for-the-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Veterinary Biobanking: Harmonization for the Future"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"TakingFor veterinary medicine, biobanks provide biological samples that allow researchers to enhance their understanding of animal disease, develop novel diagnostics and treatments, and apply molecular genetic data to livestock breeding programs. Unfortunately, a significant roadblock to these ventures is the lack of quality animal biospecimens.<\/p>\n

Because improper collection, handling and storage negatively affect specimen viability, it is imperative that veterinary biobanks implement standards consistent with best practices in the industry. Furthermore, the lack of harmonized standards inhibits scientific collaboration; the purposeful creation of biobanking networks with consistent infrastructure addresses this need and ultimately benefits the collective scientific community.<\/p>\n

Recently, Lombardo et al.1<\/sup> outlined the steps taken by one Italian veterinary biobank institution, the\u00a0Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell’Emilia Romagna (IZSLER)<\/a>, to develop a centralized infrastructure for the collection and maintenance of animal biospecimens. This example serves as a model for proper infrastructure development that hits the key issues of interoperability: homogeneous standards for sample maintenance and data management.<\/p>\n

To develop this infrastructure, the facility focused on the following key areas:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/colgroup>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Area of concern<\/strong><\/td>\nAction required<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sample census<\/td>\n\n
    \n
  • Thorough inventory: types, amounts and purpose of existing samples<\/li>\n
  • Suitable sample selection for centralized biobank<\/li>\n
  • Mirror banking, or back-up storage, to address potential infrastructure failure or sample compromise<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Data recording<\/td>\n\n
    \n
  • Labeled, bidimensional barcode system to track samples and reduce error<\/li>\n
  • Software database to ensure traceability of samples, including a web-based catalog for scientific reference<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Quality systems and controls<\/td>\n\n
    \n
  • International guidelines: ISBER (International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories); BBMRI (Biobanking and Biomedical Resources Research Infrastructure)<\/li>\n
  • Good laboratory practices throughout entire chain of custody, including proper documentation<\/li>\n
  • Quality controls to ensure proper preservation for cell suspensions, DNA\/RNA samples, tissue samples and viral batches; no quality controls exist for liquid specimens<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Storage safety and security<\/td>\n\n
    \n
  • General building safety\/security<\/li>\n
  • Real-time, alarmed temperature maintenance with automatic data logging<\/li>\n
  • Independent back-up power source<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Personnel<\/td>\n\n