Research

IGEA Biobank

What does the Biobank do?

A Biobank is a resource characterized by a unique solidarity purpose, which makes immediately available to researchers a number of biological samples and data that until a few years ago were unimaginable.

The Biobank of Casa di Cura IGEA , IGEA Biobank , is part of the Italian BBMRI network (Biobanking and BioMolecular Resources Research Infrastructure of Italy), National Node of the European Research Infrastructure for Biobanks and BioMolecular Resources ( BBMRI-ERIC ), and is responsible for collecting and preserving biological samples and clinical data from subjects with various pathologies.

Pathologies of interest

IGEA Biobank collects and preserves samples from subjects affected by neurodegenerative diseases (such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease) , cerebrovascular diseases , and inflammatory diseases of the central nervous system such as multiple sclerosis . Samples from healthy subjects are also collected.

Rare diseases

Of particular interest is also the collection of biological samples from subjects affected by rare diseases such as:

la Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
la Primary Lateral Sclerosis (PLS)
la Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP)
la Myotonic Dystrophy (DM)

How does the biobank work?

Within IGEA Biobank , biological samples of interest such as plasma , serum , peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) , DNA , whole blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), are registered, pseudonymised using dedicated software and subsequently stored in specific freezers at very low temperatures, in order to preserve the quality of the samples for a long time.

Informed consent and clinical evaluation

The subjects who express the will to participate in the biobanking process , both those affected by pathology and those who are healthy, are accurately characterised from a clinical and cognitive perspective.

This careful and precise evaluation is guaranteed by our multidisciplinary team consisting of:

neurology
Physiatrists
Pulmonologists
Geriatrics
Neuropsychologists
Physiotherapists,
Speech therapists
Occupational Therapists

At any time the subject can access the information from the research project in which he was involved and request the destruction of the biological sample.

Research projects

The samples and associated data collected and stored within the IGEA Nursing Home, IGEA Biobank , are used taking into account the specific wishes expressed by the subject in the informed consent.

They can be used in national and international scientific research projects and in research projects carried out in the Neurobiology for Translational Medicine laboratory of Casa di Cura IGEA, also in collaboration with laboratories belonging to other research centers.

The aim of the research is to contribute to the study of the mechanisms underlying the neurological pathology of interest and to the discovery of new biomarkers useful for making an early diagnosis and predicting the progression of the disease.

Privacy

The processing of such data is carried out in compliance with the requirements set forth in EU Regulation 679/2016 , in a protected and safeguarded manner using encryption systems and access passwords to prevent reading by anyone who has not been previously formally authorised by the Data Controller.