Cardiobank - database and biopsies of surgical cardiac patients

Biobanks are currently an essential infrastructure for basic and clinical research. Easy access to human biological samples and their clinical information is critical for research translation, promoting, in the long-term, direct and indirect health costs reduction and improving the quality of life of patients.

Description: The Cardiobank is a biobank of biological samples (biopsies, blood and urine samples, etc.) and their derivatives (RNA, DNA or proteins) donated by individuals with cardiac, vascular or metabolic diseases.

Samples are mainly from the Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de São João Hospital, donated voluntarily with authorization for preservation and future use in biomedical research. Samples are catalogued with dedicated software and stored at -20ºC, -80ºC or -196 ºC ^{[1] [2]} according to their nature and specificities. All samples are comprehensively complemented by the clinical background of the patient.

Type of biobank samples and pathologies

Present Data:

All samples are matched with the informed consent form of the individual donor and there is clinical, molecular and histological characterization for certain pathologies and subgroups:

• Morphometric and demographic data (baseline and follow-up)
• Clinical data, medication, history and risk factors (baseline and follow-up)
• Echocardiographic characterization (baseline and follow up)
• Surgical and hemodynamic data
• Cellular functional characterization (isolated myocytes)
• Gene expression analysis
• Plasma assay
• Expression of plasma and myocardial microRNAs
• Histological evaluation (cardiomyocyte diameter and fibrosis)

Team

Adelino Leite-Moreira (amoreira@med.up.pt), André Lourenço (aplourenco@med.up.pt)

• Collection of surgical samples
• Collection of informed consent forms
• Collection and compilation of clinical data
• Registering intraoperative hemodynamic and anaesthetic data

Ana Filipa Ferreira (anafsferreira@med.up.pt), Francisca Saraiva (f.saraiva@med.up.pt)

• Collection of informed consent forms
• Compilation of clinical data
• Echocardiographic evaluation

António Barros (asbarros@med.up.pt)

• Experimental design support
• Data analysis and statistics

Cláudia Mendes (csmendes@med.up.pt)

• Histological sample processing
• Pericardial fluid and urine processing in Citospin.
• Samples cataloging
• Sample registration in the database.

Diana Meireles e Ana Lídia Santos (apoio.fisiologia@med.up.pt)

• Logistics and orders.
• Collection, processing, cataloguing and storage of samples.
• Data entry in the database.
• Logistics and shipment of samples.
• Organization and maintenance of freezer and containers.

Inês Falcão Pires (ipires@med.up.pt)

• Database management: compilation of clinical data and their integration with existing biopsies.
• Coordinate and ensure the proper functioning of the Biobank and associated processes.
• Internal communication.

Isabel Miranda (imiranda@med.up.pt)

• Molecular processing and characterization of biological samples

Marisa Oliveira (smarisa@med.up.pt)

• Human atrial cardiomyocyte primary cultures

Nádia Gonçalves (nadian@med.up.pt)

• Quality control
• Logistics and orders
• Management of cataloguing and storage information system and management of clinical data of samples.
• Data entry in the database.
• Organization of samples in containers.

Comissão Científica

Adelino Leite-Moreira, André Lourenço, António Barros, Inês Falcão Pires, Isabel Miranda, Marisa Oliveira, Nádia Gonçalves

• Evaluate submitted project and deliberate about an adequate use of Cardiobank samples.
• Monitor Cardiobank operations and policy

Services

The Cardiobank provides services to the scientific community such as:

• Collection, processing and storage of biological samples paralleled with relevant clinical information.^[1]
• Sample storage.^[1][2]
• Histological processing of samples.^[1][2]
• Extraction of nucleic acids from tissues, blood and other biological fluids
• Quality control of biological materials.
• Cell culture of human tissues.
• Plasma Assays
• Proteomic, metabolomic and lipidomic
• Statistical analysis and treatment
• Big-data Analysis
• Data management and general support for research projects.

How to reach our services

More about us at www.unic.med.up.pt/facilities/cardiobank
All questions should be asked via e-mail: cardiobanco@med.up.pt
For more information about Cardiobank please check the available documents:

• Informed Consent Form
• Cardiobank Procedures and rules
• Authorization Ethics Committee
• Data Protection Authorization

Contacts

Cardiobanco
Department of Surgery and Physiology
Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto
Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro
4200-319 Porto, Portugal
Telephone: +(351) 220 426 793; +(351) 220 426 793
Email: cardiobanco@med.up.pt