Oral Presentations - Pathology and Laboratory Medicine - University ...

OtherAbstract # 25Crystal Leung, Lise Matzke, Mike Allard, Bruce McManusJames Hogg Research Centre, Providence Heart + Lung Institute, St. Paul’s Hospitaland Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia,Vancouver, BC, CanadaCrystal Leungharvesting value from human tissues at the timeof cardiac transplantation: one story from thecardiovascular biobankBackround/ObjectivesThe Cardiovascular (CV) Biobank was first established by Dr. McManus in 1982 at the University of NebraskaMedical Centre and was merged with the Pulmonary Biobank in the UBC Pulmonary Research Laboratory in1993. The CV Biobank triages and archives a wide spectrum of human cardiovascular specimens, includingnative and prosthetic heart valves, blood vessels, medical devices, endomyocardial biopsies, and hearts removed atthe time of transplantation or autopsy. This unique collection of biospecimens serves as a valuable resource fordiagnostic, educational, and investigative purposes. Of materials in the Biobank, the heart specimens from cardiactransplantation procedures have been widely used in many collaborative research studies and educational endeavours.The CV Biobank has developed a standardized method for effectively archiving and biobanking heart specimens fromcardiac transplantation, while preserving integrity to enable subsequent pathologic diagnosis.MethodsPatients awaiting cardiac transplantation are consented for inclusion into the CV Biobank heart archive (PHC ethicsH05-50208). Following removal of the heart during transplantation, the heart is picked up in heart collection(Hepes) buffer chilled on ice and brought back to the CV Biobank for archive. Gross images of each heart specimenare taken for documentation before the archiving process begins. The heart is given a Biobank ID - all tissues archivedfrom this heart are identified by this number thus protecting patient privacy. Selected, standardized tissue samples,including myocardium, aortic and mitral valves, coronary arteries, and aortic and pulmonary arteries are archived,preserved with formalin fixation, OCT embedding, flash freezing, and RNA-later submersion. In addition to thesepreservation steps, aortic and mitral valve sections are prepared and processed for cell culture; these are stored in liquidnitrogen. Upon completion of the archival process, formalin fixed samples are submitted to the James Hogg ResearchCentre (JHRC) Histology Laboratory for processing and paraffin embedding. The OCT-embedded, flash frozen, andRNA-later specimens are organized, stored, and catalogued at -80°C. The remainder of the heart is placed in formalinand later examined for diagnostic purposes. .Results and ConclusionsFrom 1996 to date, the CV Biobank has archived 218 explanted hearts from transplant recipients. This largecollection of heart specimens has been integral to studies of protein constituents in cardiomyopathies, genetics ofaortic valve stenosis, Biomarkers in Transplantation (BiT), and immunohistochemical character of failing hearts. TheCV Biobank is a cornerstone of the James Hogg Research Centre as an important resource to foster elucidation of themechanisms of disease and to accelerate health research with the intent of improving disease prevention, diagnosis,and treatment.36 2 0 1 0 * P o s t e r P r e s e n t a t i o n s