Building a rheumatology biobank for reliable basic/translational research and precision medicine

Elisa Assirelli; Susanna Naldi; Veronica Brusi; Jacopo Ciaffi; Lucia Lisi; Luana Mancarella; Federica Pignatti; Lia Pulsatelli; Cesare Faldini; Francesco Ursini; Simona Neri

doi:10.3389/fmed.2023.1228874

Building a rheumatology biobank for reliable basic/translational research and precision medicine

Front Med (Lausanne). 2023 Sep 7:10:1228874. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2023.1228874. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Medicine and Rheumatology Unit, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, Bologna, Italy.
² Laboratory of Immunorheumatology and Tissue Regeneration, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, Bologna, Italy.
³ 1st Orthopedic and Traumatology Department, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, Bologna, Italy.
⁴ Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences (DIBINEM), Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.

Abstract

Research biobanks are non-profit structures that collect, manipulate, store, analyze and distribute systematically organized biological samples and data for research and development purposes. Over the recent years, we have established a biobank, the Rheumatology BioBank (RheumaBank) headed by the Medicine and Rheumatology unit of the IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli (IOR) in Bologna, Italy for the purpose of collecting, processing, storing, and distributing biological samples and associated data obtained from patients suffering from inflammatory joint diseases. RheumaBank is a research biobank, and its main objective is to promote large-scale, high-quality basic, translational, and clinical research studies that can help elucidate pathogenetic mechanisms and improve personalization of treatment choice in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and other spondyloarthritides (SpA).

Keywords: biobanking and biorepositories; precision medicine; quality controls; rheumatology; standard operating procedures.