Evolutionary concepts in biobanking - the BC BioLibrary.

BACKGROUND: Medical research to improve health care faces a major problem in the relatively limited availability of adequately annotated and collected biospecimens. This limitation is creating a growing gap between the pace of scientific advances and successful exploitation of this knowledge. Biobanks are an important conduit for transfer of biospecimens (tissues, blood, body fluids) and related health data to research. They have evolved outside of the historical source of tissue biospecimens, clinical pathology archives. Research biobanks have developed advanced standards, protocols, databases, and mechanisms to interface with researchers seeking biospecimens. However, biobanks are often limited in their capacity and ability to ensure quality in the face of increasing demand. Our strategy to enhance both capacity and quality in research biobanking is to create a new framework that repatriates the activity of biospecimen accrual for biobanks to clinical pathology. METHODS: The British Columbia (BC) BioLibrary is a framework to maximize the accrual of high-quality, annotated biospecimens into biobanks. The BC BioLibrary design primarily encompasses: 1) specialized biospecimen collection units embedded within clinical pathology and linked to a biospecimen distribution system that serves biobanks; 2) a systematic process to connect potential donors with biobanks, and to connect biobanks with consented biospecimens; and 3) interdisciplinary governance and oversight informed by public opinion. RESULTS: The BC BioLibrary has been embraced by biobanking leaders and translational researchers throughout BC, across multiple health authorities, institutions, and disciplines. An initial pilot network of three Biospecimen Collection Units has been successfully established. In addition, two public deliberation events have been held to obtain input from the public on the BioLibrary and on issues including consent, collection of biospecimens and governance. CONCLUSION: The BC BioLibrary framework addresses common issues for clinical pathology, biobanking, and translational research across multiple institutions and clinical and research domains. We anticipate that our framework will lead to enhanced biospecimen accrual capacity and quality, reduced competition between biobanks, and a transparent process for donors that enhances public trust in biobanking.

Recombinant antimicrobial peptides efficiently produced using novel cloning and purification processes.

Endogenous antimicrobial peptides are ubiquitous components of animal and plant host defences. These peptides, usually cationic and amphipathic, kill target cells rapidly and are efficacious against antibiotic-resistant and clinically relevant pathogens. A practical challenge in the development of cationic peptides as therapeutics is to meet the production requirements for large quantities of highly purified drug substance at competitive costs. While chemical peptide synthesis can be used to manufacture cationic peptides, we have developed cost-effective methods for recombinant production by expressing fusion proteins comprised of multiple copies of the peptides. The fusion proteins accumulate in Escherichia coli inclusion bodies and constitute over 50% of the total cellular proteins. Active antimicrobial peptides are released by chemical reagents and purified by chromatography, combining both standard and novel approaches. Challenges of industrial-scale manufacturing of therapeutics were considered in the development of this process.

Diversity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates in an immigrant population: evidence against a founder effect.

Population-based studies have used DNA typing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis organisms to estimate the extent of ongoing tuberculosis transmission in various communities and to characterize associated risk factors. The finding of matched DNA "fingerprints" among isolates from an immigrant subgroup may reflect transmission in the adopted country but could also reflect limited diversity among M. tuberculosis organisms within that immigrant community. The authors sought to determine which hypothesis is more likely to explain the high frequency of matched isolates among Haitian-born tuberculosis patients in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The authors determined the number of different bacterial genotypes in this community as compared with other foreign-born tuberculosis patients and applied a recently described measure of genetic similarity between M. tuberculosis organisms ("genetic distance"). Among 76 Haitian-born tuberculosis patients diagnosed during 1996-1998, the authors identified 47 distinct genotypes on the basis of standard IS6110 DNA typing and categorical analysis. In genetic distance analysis, these 47 genotypes showed as great a genetic diversity as that observed among the 191 distinct genotypes identified in 216 other foreign-born tuberculosis patients. A mycobacterial "founder effect" is unlikely to account for the high proportion of shared isolates among Haitian-born Montrealers. Recent transmission remains the most likely explanation.