Banking on Life

By Carmel Doyle
20 March 2008

An all-Ireland cancer biobank and informatics network would act as a vital bridge between research and patient care. It would also create cutting-edge scientific and medical positions.

With the startling statistic in mind that one in three Irish people will be affected by cancer at some stage, an Irish pathologist has started a charitable trust to accelerate the transfer of important cancer research findings into better treatments for patients.

Eoin Gaffney, professor of histopathology at St James’s Hospital and Trinity College Dublin, co-founded the Biobank Ireland Trust with Ciaran Flanagan in 2004 to promote the development of an all-Ireland cancer biobank and informatics network in the main cancer hospitals on the island.

Gaffney has modelled the proposal on the successful Spanish Tumour Bank Network, whereby 58 institutes are now collaborating on cancer research using the same consent, technical procedures and informatics.

Biobanks are ultra low-temperature freezers that store small, surplus cancer tissue, normal tissue samples and blood samples for research. Sample data and coded patient data are entered into a database by a specialist technician. By linking sample data with information on a patient’s cancer extent, aggressiveness, progression and response to treatment, an all-Ireland biobanking network will be a precious resource for researchers to advance knowledge about how cancers grow and spread. This will help bridge the gap between research and patient care.

Cancer research is changing; it is becoming increasingly patient-focused and researchers are starting to engage in more collaborative, patient-directed research. Gaffney explains: “In a biobank network, databases are shared, but patient confidentiality and privacy is fully respected. Ethics constitute an important part of biobanking.”

Another advantage of a biobank network is researchers have access to many samples, so the chances are treatments will eventually be greatly improved. This doesn’t happen overnight, however. “It may take 10 years or more, but the sooner the network starts, the sooner progress can be made. We must think of our children,” says Gaffney.

The cost of setting up a biobank network here is estimated at over €10m. The Minister for Health and Children is awaiting a report from an expert working group, but government funding is unlikely to materialise for at least another few years.

In the meantime, Biobank Ireland presented University College Hospital, Galway with a biobank in February. This was donated by the Hanly Group at a fundraiser organised by Biobank Ireland and volunteers. Gaffney proposes to start the biobank network in three hospitals, which will cost €1.8m over two years.

Individuals, employees and businesses can help by organising events and putting the proceeds towards funding a biobank. Alternatively, they can make donations towards an individual biobank. “The concept of ‘giving while living’ is a huge tradition in America and is starting to catch on here with businesses and philanthropists.”

The proposal will also bring many employment opportunities for those trained in a variety of medical fields. The role of biobanking technicians, for instance, will be to manage the samples for research. Then, once enough tissue samples have been stored, it will be very important to have a database manager.

A cancer nurse specialist or doctor will be required to obtain consent from patients to use their tissue samples for research. A surgeon, medical scientist and pathologist will also be needed in the biobanking process. All this teamwork, along with scientific approval, is necessary before the researcher can start.

“Biobanking is less about science and more about people working together,” says Gaffney. The biobank technician and database manager are the two new hospital personnel who will need to be recruited.

The ultimate goal of this research is personalised treatments for patients. Cancers have a specific gene-expression pattern in each patient, which largely explains why people have different outcomes and responses to drugs. “By understanding these genes and proteins, we can move towards creating individualised treatments for patients, instead of treating cancer generically,” says Gaffney.

Biobank Ireland will hold a meeting in Croke Park, Dublin on 9 April, featuring the Marble Arch Working Group, and all are welcome.

This article is available online at: http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/jobs-careers/banking-on-life-1322900.html