Aims and objectives of the widespread biobank project

PURPOSE OF THE WIDESPREAD BIOBANK OF THE CARDIOLOGY NETWORK

  • collect, store and share in the biobanks of the IRCCS participating in the Cardiology Network, biological samples and related clinical and epidemiological information collected during the development of joint projects;
  • facilitate the coordination of biobanks by harmonising operational procedures for the collection, management and cryopreservation of the sample;
  • facilitate the access of the IRCCS of the Cardiology Network to samples and associated data for the development of joint research projects;
  • addressing legal, ethical and social issues on the use of samples and data, in full respect of the rights of participants, using common forms;
  • participate, as a Network, at national and international level in projects involving the use of samples and/or data.

The development of the platform will ensure the networking of different biobanking experiences, but united by the interest in cardiovascular diseases, with obvious advantage for cardiovascular, primary and secondary prevention programs, diagnosis and treatment of the national health system, and with the possibility of reaching “critical masses” important both in the field of biobanks of population and pathology, such that none of the biobanks individually could have achieved. This will help to achieve, within the Cardiology Network, concrete results in a short time with a favourable impact on public health and a consequent reduction in health expenditure.

The collection of samples from the Widespread Biobank of the Cardiology Network will start from the CV-PREVITAL project.

 

LONG COVID PROJECT AND WIDESPREAD BIOBANK

The Cardiology Network has carried out the first collection of biological samples and associated data for the project entitled “Cardiovascular manifestations in long covid: diagnostic evidence and cell and tissue mechanisms of inflammation, thrombosis infection and immunology”. The project has been funded by the Italian Ministry of Health (Ricerca Corrente RETI 2021).

Numerous patients who survived COVID-19 have developed a clinically heterogeneous “syndrome” mainly characterized by fatigue and muscle weakness as well as by a spectrum of symptoms originating from the respiratory, cardiovascular, nervous, gastrointestinal and endocrine systems. This condition has been referred
to as “Long COVID Syndrome”.

With the aim of characterizing the spectrum of cardiovascular involvement in patients affected by Long COVID syndrome, the Widespread Biobank of the Cardiology Network has collected biological samples and associated data from patients affected by COVID-19 (acute phase), from recovered patients with Long COVID symptoms and from asymptomatic Post COVID patients. For the collection, processing and storage of new samples, each recruiting IRCCS has applied the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) drawn up for
the project and shared with participants biobanks. With regard to the samples previously collected from the different centres, the SOP used were also collected in order to be able to compare the samples from different biobanks.
The collection of high-quality biological materials and associated data could be used in biomedical research in order to prevent and treat disorders associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection.