Abstract
Precise treatment of a disease, with a concerted analysis at the genomic and phenotypic level, is a paradigm shift from the one-size-fits-all treatment practiced for centuries. As part of the Precision Medicine Initiative, a million cohort samples will be collected for research and development of unique genetic markers in the study of the relationship of genomic markers to cancer. The million cohort samples are only as good as the conditions under which the samples are collected and stored. The purpose of this review is to discuss an economically viable biobanking solution for tissue, blood, and nucleic acid storage for such an endeavor! Tissue biopsy and whole blood are two common types of tissues collected for the Precision Medicine Initiative. Tissue samples can be stored as formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) blocks at ambient for decades, but fresh tissue samples although limited in sample size are better suited for downstream application. Postmortem collection of tissue is a good alternative to fresh tissue samples if the samples can be acquired in a timely manner before cold ischemia sets in. Blood is the preferred tissue sample for the Precision Medicine Initiative as it is easy to collect compared to other tissue types. Energy and space limitations are going to be crucial for storing a million samples for decades. Dry storage at ambient temperature is an alternative to the ultra-low-temperature storage of samples. Dry storage of whole blood samples as dried blood spots (DBS) or of the isolated components such as nucleic acids at ambient is ideal. In this review, we discuss the ambient temperature storage of blood samples and of nucleic acid. The million cohort biobanked blood and tissue samples will be crucial references for decades to come as new discoveries are made and new markers identified. Collection of blood samples at ambient as DBS and storage of the associated nucleic acid at ambient will be the key to the long-term success of biobanking of this large cohort.
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