Who uses the samples stored in a Biobank and what are they used for?
Tissue samples stored in a Biobank are made available for ethically and scientifically approved research projects. Typically, research is done by research groups in universities or hospitals, and biopharma companies developing new tests and cancer drugs. For molecular research investigations e.g. on RNA and protein-protein interactions, frozen tissue is needed in order to preserve the cells’ genes and proteins. For routine pathological diagnosis, tissue is usually fixed in formalin, and embedded in paraffin blocks. Paraffin tissue can be used for DNA extraction and also to validate new cancer(biomarker) tests and individual patients’ suitability for certain types of treatment e.g. Herceptin in breast cancer. Indeed this is a major growth area that the infrastructure of a biobank network will greatly facilitate.
The kind of research carried out using tissue samples varies from the basic molecular aspects of tumour formation, growth and spread, to the development of effective target drugs. Key areas of study require large scale sample collections.These include: prediction of outcome and response to therapy, identifying inherited biomarkers of prognosis, identifying inherited markers of toxicity to therapeutic drugs and the genetic susceptibility to cancer. Some of these studies are carried out in partnerships with industry, partnerships that are essential for developing new drugs.
Such research could not be carried out within a single institution. Without rapid access to large numbers of samples, research progress is slow and disrupted and the findings may be of limited value. A well-organised Irish Biobank Network would provide the necessary infrastructure for the required large scale inter-institutional research collaborations.