Family DNA-Banking Articles

The manipulation of DNA is routine practice in botanical research and has made a huge impact on plant breeding, biotechnology and biodiversity evaluation. DNA is easy to extract from most plant tissues and can be stored for long periods in DNA banks. Curation methods are well developed for other botanical resources such as herbaria, seed banks and botanic gardens, but procedures for the establishment and maintenance of DNA banks have not been well documented. This paper reviews the curation of DNA banks for the characterisation and utilisation of biodiversity and provides guidelines for DNA bank management. It surveys existing DNA banks and outlines their operation. It includes a review of plant DNA collection, preservation, isolation, storage, database management and exchange procedures. We stress that DNA banks require full integration with existing collections such as botanic gardens, herbaria and seed banks, and information retrieval systems that link such facilities, bioinformatic resources and other DNA banks. They also require efficient and well-regulated sample exchange procedures. Only with appropriate curation will maximum utilisation of DNA collections be achieved.

The use of human biological specimens in scientific research is the focus of current international public and professional concern and a major issue in bioethics in general. Brain/Tissue/Bio banks (BTB-banks) are a rapid developing sector; each of these banks acts locally as a steering unit for the establishment of the local Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and the legal regulations and ethical guidelines to be followed in the procurement and dissemination of research specimens. An appropriat Code of Conduct is crucial to a successful operation of the banks and the research application they handle. What are we still missing ? (1) Adequate funding for research BTB-banks. (2) Standard evaluation protocls for audit of BTB-bank performance. (3) Internationally accepted SOP’s which will facilitate exchange and sharing of specimens and data with the scientific community. (4) Internationally accepted Code of Conduct. In the present paper we review the most pressing organizational, methodological, medico-legal and ethical issues involved in BTB-banking; funding, auditing, procurement, management/handling, dissemination and sharing of specimens, confidentiality and data protection, genetic testing, “financial gain” and safety measures. Taking into consideration the huge variety of the specimens stored in different repositories and the enormous differences in medico-legal systems and ethics regulations in different countries it is strongly recommend that the health-care systems and institutions who host BTB-Banks will put more efforts in getting adequate funding for the infrastructure and daily activities. The BTB-banks should define evaluation protocols, SOPs and their Code of Conduct. This in turn will enable the banks to share the collected specimens and data with the largest possible number of researchers and aim at a maximal scientific spin-off and advance in public health research.

The use of human biological specimens in scientific research is the focus of current international public and professional concern and a major issue in bioethics in general. Brain/Tissue/Bio banks (BTB-banks) are a rapid developing sector; each of these banks acts locally as a steering unit for the establishment of the local Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and the legal regulations and ethical guidelines to be followed in the procurement and dissemination of research specimens. An appropriat Code of Conduct is crucial to a successful operation of the banks and the research application they handle. What are we still missing ? (1) Adequate funding for research BTB-banks. (2) Standard evaluation protocls for audit of BTB-bank performance. (3) Internationally accepted SOP’s which will facilitate exchange and sharing of specimens and data with the scientific community. (4) Internationally accepted Code of Conduct. In the present paper we review the most pressing organizational, methodological, medico-legal and ethical issues involved in BTB-banking; funding, auditing, procurement, management/handling, dissemination and sharing of specimens, confidentiality and data protection, genetic testing, “financial gain” and safety measures. Taking into consideration the huge variety of the specimens stored in different repositories and the enormous differences in medico-legal systems and ethics regulations in different countries it is strongly recommend that the health-care systems and institutions who host BTB-Banks will put more efforts in getting adequate funding for the infrastructure and daily activities. The BTB-banks should define evaluation protocols, SOPs and their Code of Conduct. This in turn will enable the banks to share the collected specimens and data with the largest possible number of researchers and aim at a maximal scientific spin-off and advance in public health research.

The information gained from the Human Genome Project has facilitated molecular as well as cellular studies not only to find the origins of Breast Cancer (BC), but also to create novel, and effective treatments. In order to provide an infrastructure for local and international research in this area, Iranian Center for Breast Cancer (ICBC) has established a Bio-Bank (BB) for BC. This article describes the aim, structure, and activities in general, and the challenging issues confronting the bank as a model for the establishment of Bio-Banks in developing countries in particular. The methods employed by the Bank could be explained in the following categories: During the five-year activity of the bank, 110 families were enrolled for genetic counseling, from whom 600 biologic samples were obtained, including 387 blood samples and 213 tissue samples. Of 387 blood samples, 317 (82%) were found to belong to the BC patients and the remaining 70 (18%) belonged to their available relatives. The number of samples increased over the study period partly as a result of the programs designed to confront the problems. During the study period, there were some finished research studies using the samples of BB, and many other studies which are still ongoing. ICBC-BB is a model of biologic sample banking which provides a significant number of biological samples for local and international collaborative research projects regarding molecular and cellular aspects of BC. In establishing the ICBC-BB we have experienced problems and challenges, some general and some local. Some were expected and others not, but we have identified solutions.

Collections of human postmortem brains gathered in brain banks have underpinned many significant developments in the understanding of central nervous system (CNS) disorders and continue to support current research. Unfortunately, the worldwide decline in postmortem examinations has had an adverse effect on research tissue procurement, particularly from control cases (non-diseased brains). Recruitment to brain donor programmes partially addresses this problem and has been successful for dementing and neurodegenerative conditions. However, the collection of brains from control subjects, particularly from younger individuals, and from CNS disorders of sudden onset, remains a problem. Brain banks need to adopt additional strategies to circumvent such shortages. The establishment of brain bank networks allows data on, and access to, control cases and unusual CNS disorders to be shared, providing a larger resource for potential users. For the brain banks themselves, inclusion in a network fosters the sharing of protocols and development of best practice and quality control. One aspect of this collective experience concerns brain bank management, excellence in which is a prerequisite not only for gaining the trust of potential donors and of society in general, but also for ensuring equitable distribution to researchers of high quality tissue samples. This review addresses the legal, ethical and governance issues, tissue quality, and health and safety aspects of brain bank management and data management in a network, as well as the needs of users, brain bank staffing, donor programs, funding issues and public relations. Recent developments in research methodology present new opportunities for researchers who use brain tissue samples, but will require brain banks to adopt more complex protocols for tissue collection, preparation and storage, with inevitable cost implications for the future.

This paper presents results from an econometric analysis of Russian bank defaults during the period 1997–2003, focusing on the extent to which publicly available information from quarterly bank balance sheets is useful in predicting future defaults. Binary choice models are estimated to construct the probability of default model. In the first part of the paper we analyse bank survival over the financial crisis of 1998. We find that preliminary expert clustering or automatic clustering improves the predictive power of the models and incorporation of macrovariables into the models is useful. Heuristic criteria are suggested to help compare model performance from the perspectives of investors or banks supervision authorities. In the second part of the paper we use the probability of default models developed in the first part in rolling windows to analyse the Russian banking system trends after the crisis 1998.

Brain banks are facilities providing an interface between generous donation of nervous tissues and research laboratories devoted to increase our understanding of the diseases of the nervous system, discover new diagnostic targets, and develop new strategies. Considering this crucial role, it is important to learn about the suitabilities, limitations and proper handling of individual brain samples for particular studies. Several factors may interfere with preservation of DNA, RNA, proteins and lipids, and, therefore, special care must be taken first to detect sub-optimally preserved tissues and second to provide adequate material for each specific purpose. Basic aspects related with DNA, RNA and protein preservation include agonal state, post-mortem delay, temperature of storage and procedures of tissue preservation. Examination of DNA and RNA preservation is best done by using bioanalyzer technologies instead of less sensitive methods such as agarose gels. Adequate RNA preservation is mandatory in RNA microarray studies and adequate controls are necessary for proper PCR validation. Like for RNA, the preservation of proteins is not homogeneous since some molecules are more vulnerable than others. This aspect is crucial in the study of proteins including expression levels and possible post-translational modifications. Similarly, the reliability of functional and enzymatic studies in human post-mortem brain largely depends on protein preservation. Much less is known about other aspects, such as the effects of putative deleterious factors on epigenetic events such as methylation of CpGs in gene promoters, nucleosome preservation, histone modifications, and conservation of microRNA species. Most brains are appropriate for morphological approaches but not all brains are useful for certain biochemical and molecular studies.

Following the pioneering work of Gluckman and colleagues, umbilical cord blood (UCB) has become an important source of hematopoietic stem cells for clinical transplantation, and banked UCB units are now readily available for this purpose. UCB banks now operate in many countries, with more than 10,000 allogeneic transplants having been performed worldwide. Many of the procedures for processing and storage of UCB in use in England today were established at the New York Cord Blood Bank in the 1990s and modified in the National Blood Service (now National Health Service Blood and Transplant or NHSBT). UCB banking within NHSBT was first instigated in 1995 as part of the South East Regional Blood Transfusion Service. The first cord blood units were then banked in February 1996 in dedicated facilities at Edgware in London and, for the following 7 years, altruistic donations were principally obtained through maternity units from two hospitals, Northwick Park and Barnet General NHS Trust hospitals. These hospitals were selected on the basis of their closeness to Edgware, and their high proportion of ethnic minority groups, which were inadequately represented in UK bone marrow donor registries. In 2001, with the nationalization of the blood transfusion services in England and North Wales and prior to the merger of the National Blood Service (NBS) for England and North Wales with UK Transplant to form NHSBT, cord blood collections and banking for clinical transplantation and research were integrated into the Stem Cells and Immunotherapies Department. This Department, now within NHSBT, comprises a network of eight Human Tissue Authority (HTA)-licensed GMP-grade facilities including the NHS Cord Blood Bank (previously the London Cord Blood Bank), specializing in the procurement, testing, processing, banking, and issuing of stem cell harvests or products from umbilical cord blood, mobilized peripheral blood, and bone marrow. The laboratories are also at the forefront for the development and delivery of advanced cellular therapies or related diagnostics using these cell sources. The NHSBT now sources unrelated UCB units from four hospitals in London, collects designated or directed family UCB units throughout England, and also obtains UCB units for research. This chapter will review current UCB collection and banking practices within NHSBT and will summarize the significant changes that have occurred since their inception and integration into the first public cord blood bank for transplantation and research in the UK.

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) can be curative in a large variety of selected malignant and non malignant diseases. Umbilical cord blood transplantation (UCBT) has extended the availability of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) to patients who would not otherwise be eligible for this curative approach. The first successful UCBT from an HLA-identical sibling in a child with severe Fanconi’s anemia was reported by Gluckman et al. in 1989 [1]. This first success opened the way to a new field in the domain of allogeneic HSCT as it showed that: (1) a single umbilical cord blood contained enough hematopoietic stem cells to reconstitute definitely the host lympho-hematopoietic compartment; (2) an umbilical cord blood unit could be collected at birth without any harm to the new-born infant, and (3) umbilical cord blood hematopoietic stem cells could be cryopreserved and transplanted in a myeloablated host after thawing without losing their repopulating capacity. Since, our knowledge on the biological characteristics of umbilical cord blood cells has increased, emphasizing the advantages of using umbilical cord blood stem cells for transplant. Simultaneously, umbilical cord blood banks (CBB) have been established for related or unrelated UCBT with more than 500,000 units available and more than 20,000 umbilical cord blood transplants performed in children and in adults with malignant and non malignant diseases.

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