Page 34 - MemoriaOBN-Eng

STRUCTURAL PROGRAMMES

Platforms

Having a large number of biological samples such as tissues, serum, plasma, DNA, proteins,

etc., is extremely important today for the advancement and development of biomedical
research.

Storing such a large amount of samples from different origins and the increasingly closer

collaboration between laboratories mean that samples must be sent often, and this requires
strict control.

The so-called biobanks were created for this purpose. They are public or private, non-profit

establishments that store a collection of biological samples that has been designed for
diagnostic or biomedical research purposes and organised as a technical unit with quality

criteria, and that is orderly and intended to serve society in general and the scientific com-
munity in particular.

Biobanks will undoubtedly become a basic tool in biomedical research in no time. For that

reason it is necessary to establish certain rules that must assure their efficacy.

The objective for which a biobank is created must first be defined, regardless of whether it
is non-specialised, population-based biobank or a biobank specialising in a particular patho-

logy, because each objective requires a different strategy.

Any biobank needs to meet the following 5 criteria:
• It must have the required Informed Consents for Biomedical Research and it must

comply with the Law for the Protection of Personal Data, as well as those laws
regulating biobanks

•
Procedures and protocols must be standardised, assuring quality in obtaining,
processing, preserving and storing the samples. Correctly completing the

questionnaires will assure quality of the clinical information associated with the
samples.

• Sample traceability must be assured, so the infrastructure required for that

purpose must be acquired and unique coding methods used.

• The biobank and its samples must be effectively managed using computer
applications created for such purpose.
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•The biobank must employ specialised staff dedicated to the biobank and 01
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knowledgeable about same.
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Once the initial effort of starting up and maintaining a biobank has been made, multi- EP
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ple benefits are obtained which help the research work, the diagnosis and treatment of AL
diseases in patients, and finally society in general by preventing diseases, identifying U
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risk factors and creating wealth and knowledge.
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Given the lack of a biobank in Spain that specialises in collecting adipose tissue, as- N
sociated samples and their clinical data for studying such widespread diseases that OB
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are constantly on the rise in the population, such as obesity, diabetes and diseases BE
associated with them, there is a need to have a biobank to continue performing the CI

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daily activity in a strict manner and to have samples assuring reliable, quality results.