Study Protocol: Design and Implementation of the Pediatric Liver Transplantation Biobank

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Hepatology
• Biobanking
• Transplantation Science

Background:

• Early intervention for neonatal biliary atresia (BA) and end-stage liver diseases can mitigate the need for liver transplantation (LT).
• Standardized clinical pediatric liver transplantation (PLT) biobanks are essential for generating qualified sample resources for scientific research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish and describe a standardized clinical biobank for pediatric liver transplantation.
• To create a reliable platform for collecting and managing biospecimens and clinical data from pediatric LT patients.

Main Methods:

• Development of standardized procedures for biobank establishment, operations, and quality control.
• Systematic collection, management, and storage of liver tissue, blood, and stool samples from LT patients.
• Integration of biospecimen data with comprehensive clinical information.

Main Results:

• The biobank, operational since August 2018, has enrolled 49 pediatric subjects (ages 0-18).
• It currently houses approximately 3000 biospecimen aliquots.
• Biliary atresia (BA) is the most frequent diagnosis, accounting for 61.23% of LT cases.

Conclusions:

• The established PLT biobank serves as a valuable resource, linking detailed clinical and biological information.
• This resource is expected to significantly accelerate discovery research in pediatric liver transplantation.
• The biobank facilitates research into early treatment strategies for pediatric liver diseases.