Establishing a neurological-psychiatric biobank: banking, informatics, ethics

The recent development of genetic databases and biobanks in a number of countries reflects scientist's beliefs in the future health benefits to be derived from genetic research. The NEPSYBANK is a national program of the Hungarian Clinical Neurogenetic Society with comprehensive participation of the Neurology and Psychiatry Departments of Medical Universities and the National Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology. The NEPSYBANK forms a part of the national biobank project (www.biobank.hu). The goal is to establish nationwide collaboration and common biobanking standards on quality, access, and protection of integrity in the field of neurology and psychiatry. Biological materials and databases are already collected in stroke, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, motoneuron diseases, dementia, movement disorders, schizophrenia, and alcohol addiction. In peripheral neuropathies, neuropathic pain syndromes, muscle diseases, migraine, myasthenia gravis, depression, panic disease, anxiety, autism, and software development is in progress. The resources have been expanded by continued prospective collection of samples and data and important bottlenecks in sample purification, sample retrieval, in protection of the integrity of the research participants, as well as in guaranteeing the security and confidentiality of the participant's information have been harmonized. The development of uniform consent management, comprehensive sample overview and quality standards for health care-related biobanking may provide a unique opportunity for Hungary in molecular clinically oriented research. The program is a diseased-based research biobank with comprehensive collection of phenotypic and environmental information as well as biobanking of DNA, RNA or buffy coat, plasma, and erythrocytes stored at -80 degrees C. The biobank has a neuropathological part as well: storing conventional pathology and biopsy specimens. The analytical and informational demands being created by biobanking requires a "connectivity of community" that has not traditionally been present in the life sciences. As you put more resources into something, your silos tend to become taller, and we need to avoid this. The life science and healthcare community should be ignored working in individual "silos."