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[Biological banks of the prospective cohort PRIME Study]
1Département d'Athérosclérose, SERLIA-INSERM UR545, Institut Pasteur de Lille, 1, rue du Professeur-Calmette, 59019 Lille Cedex, France. Gerald.Luc@pasteur-lille.fr
Insights
This study validated a large plasma and serum biobank for coronary heart disease (CHD) research. The biobank effectively stores samples, enabling the identification of new CHD risk markers.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical research
- Cardiovascular disease epidemiology
- Biobanking and sample storage
Context:
- Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of mortality globally.
- Identifying novel risk markers for coronary heart disease (CHD) is crucial for prevention strategies.
- Prospective cohort studies are valuable for risk marker research but require extensive biological sample storage.
Purpose:
- To describe the establishment and validation of a large-scale plasma and serum biobank for the PRIME Study.
- To detail the methods used for storing biological samples, including the use of straws for maximal storage efficiency.
- To assess the long-term stability and validity of stored plasma samples for key biochemical measurements.
Summary:
- The PRIME Study established a biobank with 240,000 plasma and serum samples from 10,592 men aged 50-59.
- Samples were stored in liquid nitrogen for over five years, utilizing straws for space optimization.
- Storage validation confirmed the integrity of key parameters, demonstrating the biobank's suitability for CHD risk marker research.
Impact:
- The validated biobank supports ongoing and future research into CHD aetiology and prevention.
- Efficient biobanking practices, like those detailed, are essential for large-scale epidemiological studies.
- This resource facilitates the discovery of new biological and genetic risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
Background:
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality in westernized countries. Learning more about the cause of coronary heart disease (CHD) is an essential step in the search for effective CHD prevention, both at the individual and population levels. Prospective cohort studies are particularly well suited to the study of risk markers. However, the high cost of mounting such studies, along with the newer hypotheses generated during the period of follow-up necessitates the use of plasma and serum banks for analyses of many biological parameters.
Methods:
The prospective, cohort PRIME Study has recruited 10,592 men, aged 50-59 years in France and Northern Ireland, to establish new risk markers for CHD. A plasma serum bank was established comprising 240,000 samples, either in straws or tubes, which have been stored in liquid nitrogen for over 5 years. The use of straws was required to store the largest number of aliquots in the smallest possible space. Storage validation was carried out for a number of key parameters. The validity of freezing of plasma in straws was established for a number of key measurements under investigation. Simultaneously, a DNA bank was set up to facilitate genetic analyses. In contrast to the DNA bank, which enables the performance of a very large number of analyses on a small amount of material, the plasma/serum bank has to be managed very frugally, requiring laboratories to use the smallest volume possible in each analysis.
Results And Conclusion:
Problems and difficulties solved during building and use of biological banks are presented. The initial results obtained using this plasma bank have demonstrated its validity.