BioBank

BioBank of Igea Nursing Home

The Ethics Committee in its meeting of July 14, 2015 approved the protocol for the Research Biobank, a non-profit service unit aimed at the collection, processing, conservation and distribution of human biological samples for scientific research purposes. It is therefore a resource characterized by a peculiar solidarity purpose, which makes available to researchers a number of biological samples and data that until a few years ago were unimaginable.

Activities

Understanding the importance and potential of this great resource for the present and the future, the Biobank of Casa di Cura Igea, CdC Igea Biobank, part of the Italian BBMRI network (Biobanking and BioMolecular Resources Research Infrastructure of Italy), National Node of the European Research Infrastructure of Biobanks and BioMolecular Resources (BBMRI-ERIC), collects and stores biological samples and clinical data from subjects with various pathologies, such as neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's Disease and Alzheimer's Disease and other pathologies such as Cerebral Stroke, Multiple Sclerosis and Peripheral Neuropathies. Of particular interest is also the collection of biological samples from subjects affected by rare diseases such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Primary Lateral Sclerosis (PLS) and Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP).

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

The subjects who express the will to participate in the biobanking process, both those affected by pathology and those who are healthy, are characterized in an accurate way, from a clinical and cognitive point of view, thanks to a careful and precise evaluation by our multidisciplinary team made up of Neurologists, Physiatrists, Pulmonologists, Geriatricians, Neuropsychologists, Physiotherapists, Speech Therapists and Occupational Therapists.

The samples and associated data collected and stored within the CdC Igea Biobank are used, taking into account the wishes expressed by the subject in the informed consent, in National and International scientific research projects and in research projects carried out in the Laboratory of Neurobiology for Translational Medicine of Casa di Cura Igea also in collaboration with laboratories belonging to other research centers. The aim is to contribute to the study of the mechanisms underlying the pathology and to the discovery of new biomarkers useful for the development of an early diagnosis and to predict the progression of the disease.

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 through encryption systems and access passwords to prevent reading by anyone who has not been previously formally authorised by the Data Controller.

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

Director of the Biobank:
Dr. Elda Judica

Biobank contacts:
Dr. Melania Filareti
Pamela Cappelletti, PhD