The Biobank of the Public Health System in Andalusia is a key player in biomedical development in public health. In this sense, and beyond its work in other areas, such as training or sample preservation, it plays a prominent role in research projects developed within the Andalusian health system.
More precisely, the Biobank Coordination Node, located in Granada, is actively participating in a European research project involving 69 institutions from 15 countries. Studying autoimmune diseases called «3TR» has a budget of 80 million euros and is led by Marta Alarcón-Rquelme, researcher at the Foundation for Progress and Health and scientific director of Pfizer-University of Granada-Andalusian Genomics and Oncological Research (Genyo), in Granada.
Within this project, the Biobank is responsible for the logistics of obtaining and storing biological samples at the request of the corresponding centers involved in this work. Thus far, it has successfully stored over 172,000 samples from more than 2,400 donations from patients with inflammatory and allergic autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis), chronic obstructive asthma, and lung disease, the pathologies being studied in this project. These figures represent 25% of what is expected to be managed throughout the project.
From the Biobank’s standpoint, kits are prepared with the necessary material to obtain, process, and preserve biological samples. Depending on the type of sample being processed, the necessary material is labeled with a unique code beforehand by the Biobank information system, and once the centers collect samples, they return to the Biobank for storage and preservation at a temperature between -80ºC and -196ºC, as needed.
The participation of this research structure is essential to support the development of projects in the field of public health in Andalusia, aiming to enhance the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of diseases and, thereby, the quality of life of patients.
The largest immunology project
«3TR» is the largest immunology project of the Innovative Medicine Initiative 2 (IMI2) to improve the management of those who do not respond to therapy in seven immune-mediated diseases.
This large-scale research initiative between the public and private sectors will provide new knowledge about response mechanisms and lack of response to treatment through integrated and cross-analyzed advanced profiling technologies.
Autoimmune, inflammatory, and allergic diseases are common chronic conditions that significantly affect the well-being of millions of people worldwide and entail a significant effort for healthcare systems. Although there are different treatments available, the response and disease progression in individual patients remain unpredictable. Currently, very little is known about the molecular basis underlying these diseases. Therefore, to better predict treatment response and identify new biomarkers leading to improved patient management already undergoing personalized treatment, a deeper understanding of the cellular mechanisms determining disease development is needed.