How to create a biobank
St. Petersburg State University scientists share their unique experience
At St. Petersburg University The first biobanking school in Russia was held, which was attended by doctors and biologists from all over the country. Scientists of St. Petersburg State University shared with colleagues the experience of creating a laboratory that combines the functions of a cryopreservation and a center for personalized medicine.
Biobanking is considered one of the most promising medical areas today. The creation and study of huge arrays of biological samples allows scientists to identify the causes of various diseases and find ways to combat them. In Russia, this industry is now actively developing – new cryopreservations of biological materials are opened almost every year. However, the technology of creating biobanks is often violated, which leads to serious consequences. According to experts, up to 70% of errors in laboratory diagnostics occur due to improper collection, processing or storage of samples.
Until now, scientists from Russia had to travel to European countries to improve their skills and exchange experience with colleagues. The pioneer in the field of biobanking training in our country was the resource center "Biobank Center" of the St. Petersburg State University Science Park – in 2017, the advanced training program "Fundamentals of Biobanking: Theory and Practice" was launched here.
The Biobank of St. Petersburg State University can be used as a model for organizing similar centers in Russia.
"So far, the number of biobanks is measured in dozens, but there will be more and more. And for those who are currently working on the creation of domestic cryophages, our experience is undoubtedly useful. "Biobank Center", in fact, is a multibiobank, on the basis of which both fundamental and applied research is conducted. We consider it very important to share our best practices with colleagues and are confident that this experience will be successful," said Andrey Glotov, Director of the Biobank of St. Petersburg State University.
The first biobanking school, held at St. Petersburg State University in September, included lectures, practical classes, study tours, discussion of current scientific and clinical problems. The organizers note that the training program included not only work with biological materials, documents and equipment – special attention was paid to the peculiarities of Russian legislation, as well as ethical and legal norms of biobanking.
The participants of the school were doctors, biologists and pharmacists from Moscow, Kursk, Rostov, Vladivostok and other cities of Russia. They highly appreciated the qualifications of St. Petersburg scientists and the well-established system of work of the Biobank of St. Petersburg State University. Yuri Kurga, an employee of the Biryuch Innovation Center, said that the knowledge gained here will help him and colleagues in creating a biobank in the Belgorod region.
Interestingly, the experience of St. Petersburg State University turned out to be in demand by scientists who are far from medicine. So, Natalia Sverdlova from the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, where the Marine biobank recently opened, expressed admiration for the organization of this structure at St. Petersburg State University.
Global tasks and principles of operation are the same for all biobanks. Natalia Sverdlova, an employee of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, "The Biobanking school is being held for the first time both at our University and in Russia in principle. I will not hide that we decided to take such a step not only to share our experience with colleagues. It is also important for us to look at ourselves from the outside, to hear feedback and, possibly, criticism – this is necessary for development, moving forward," Andrei Glotov is convinced. He said that the advanced training program at St. Petersburg State University is planned to be developed, including by introducing specialized training for organizers and future employees of biobanks.
The Biobank Center Resource Center of the St. Petersburg State University Science Park is a multibiobank that has no analogues in terms of equipment in Russia, which ensures the development of fundamental and practical aspects of biomedicine. The biobank's high-performance equipment includes state-of-the-art cryochrals Likonik and Bioseif (-80 OC and -196 OC), the only genomic sequencer Hiseq 4000 in our country, stations for sample preparation and DNA isolation, etc.
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21.09.2017