Tissue preservation & Bio-banking

Biography

Biography: Patricia Casbas-Hernandez

Abstract

There are 580 million people worldwide considered to be of Hispanic origin. In the US, Hispanics represent 17% of the population and its largest ethnic minority. Funded by NCI, Moffitt Cancer Center (Florida) and Ponce Health Sciences University (Puerto Rico) initiated a partnership that conducts high-quality research, training, and community-outreach focusing on cancer health disparities among Hispanics. A central component to this partnership is the Puerto Rico BioBank (PRBB), the first tumor bank capable of optimal collection, processing, and distribution of biospecimens derived from the island’s population. The PRBB has recruited cancer patients since 2008 through establishment of a functional laboratory infrastructure and collaborations with local hospitals. Eligible patients provide informed consent, agree to donate blood (for DNA) and tissues (fresh-frozen, paraffin embedded), and complete a comprehensive questionnaire related to clinical and lifestyle factors. Biological material is properly banked at the PRBB lab following HIPAA and standard operating procedures to ensure patient confidentiality and tissue quality. Currently, the PRBB has over 1,100 patients (65.8% females, 34.2% males) all of Hispanic origin. The most common banked tumors are breast, prostate, and lung, although other uncommon tumors are also collected. Pathological, demographic and clinical data is entered into a biobanking-management-system (BMS), which allows for up-to-date information and reporting. In conclusion, the patient samples banked in the PRBB are a unique resource that can support molecular and population studies. This Hispanic-specific biobank fosters collaborations among local and international researchers that facilitate the application of novel techniques to solving cancer health disparities among Hispanics.