NEWS
In a collaboration project between MedUni Wien Biobank, Biobank Graz and researchers from several clinical departments of the Medical Universities of Graz and Vienna, short-term and long-term storage stabilities of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were evaluated using samples from the Biobank’s SARS-CoV-2 cohorts.
Moreover, the authors highlighted the problems with evaluating long-term storage effects, as the evaluation tool (the analytical test itself) also changes over time, which introduces additional analytical imprecision and leads to overestimation of the preanalytical variability. The paper was published in the top laboratory journal Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (impact factor: 8.49):
Tobias Niedrist, Lisa Kriegl, Christoph J Zurl, Felix Schmidt, Nicole Perkmann-Nagele, Patrick Mucher, Manuela Repl, Ines Flieder, Astrid Radakovics, Daniela Sieghart, Helga Radner, Daniel Aletaha, Christoph J. Binder, Christian Gülly, Robert Krause, Markus Herrmann, Oswald F. Wagner, Thomas Perkmann and Helmuth Haslacher. Preanalytical stability of SARS-CoV-2 anti-nucleocapsid antibodies. Clin Chem Lab Med, 2022. doi: 10.1515/cclm-2022-0875.
2022-11-06
High impact of COVID-related research with involvment of MedUni Wien Biobank
The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic required high-quality and efficient biomedical research. Biobanks played their part in making this possible. Below we present a selection of high-impact articles have so far been published in collaboration with the MedUni Vienna Biobank:
Mair MJ et al. Enhanced SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infections in patients with hematologic and solid cancers due to Omicron. Cancer Cell. 2022 Apr 12:S1535-6108(22)00165-9. doi: 10.1016/j.ccell.2022.04.003.
Mandl P et al. Response to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in systemic autoimmune rheumatic disease depends on immunosuppressive regimen: a matched, prospective cohort study. Ann Rheum Dis. 2022 Mar 18:annrheumdis-2021-221788. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2021-221788.
Mair MJ, Berger JM et al. Third dose of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in hemato-oncological patients and health care workers: immune responses and adverse events - a retrospective cohort study. Eur J Cancer. 2022 Apr;165:184-194. doi: 10.1016/j.ejca.2022.01.019.
Perkmann T, Mucher P et al. The Comparability of Anti-Spike SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Tests is Time-Dependent: a Prospective Observational Study. Microbiol Spectr. 2022 Feb 23;10(1):e0140221. doi: 10.1128/spectrum.01402-21.
Bonelli M et al. Additional heterologous versus homologous booster vaccination in immunosuppressed patients without SARS-CoV-2 antibody seroconversion after primary mRNA vaccination: a randomised controlled trial. Ann Rheum Dis. 2022 May;81(5):687-694. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2021-221558.
Simader E et al. Importance of the second SARS-CoV-2 vaccination dose for achieving serological response in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and seronegative spondyloarthritis. Ann Rheum Dis. 2022 Mar;81(3):416-421. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2021-221347.
Mair MJ et al. Humoral Immune Response in Hematooncological Patients and Health Care Workers Who Received SARS-CoV-2 Vaccinations. JAMA Oncol. 2022 Jan 1;8(1):106-113. doi: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2021.5437.
Mrak D, Tobudic S et al. SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in rituximab-treated patients: B cells promote humoral immune responses in the presence of T-cell-mediated immunity. Ann Rheum Dis. 2021 Oct;80(10):1345-1350. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2021-220781.
Perkmann T et al. Anti-Spike Protein Assays to Determine SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Levels: a Head-to-Head Comparison of Five Quantitative Assays. Microbiol Spectr. 2021 Sep 3;9(1):e0024721. doi: 10.1128/Spectrum.00247-21.
Klausberger M, Duerkop M et al. A comprehensive antigen production and characterisation study for easy-to-implement, specific and quantitative SARS-CoV-2 serotests. EBioMedicine. 2021 May;67:103348. doi: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2021.103348.
Fuereder T et al. SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in oncology healthcare professionals and patients with cancer at a tertiary care centre during the COVID-19 pandemic. ESMO Open. 2020 Sep;5(5):e000889. doi: 10.1136/esmoopen-2020-000889.
Perkmann T. Side-by-Side Comparison of Three Fully Automated SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Assays with a Focus on Specificity. Clin Chem. 2020 Nov 1;66(11):1405-1413. doi: 10.1093/clinchem/hvaa198.
2022-04-20
In a joint project between several Austrian universities and an industrial partner, SARS-CoV-2 specific antigens (nucleocapsid and spike) were produced after screening with different animal, plant and bacterial vectors. The antigens were subsequently brought to market as two quantitative SARS-CoV-2 antibody tests (ELISA). The project was awarded the Audience Award of the Houska Prize, Austria's largest private prize for applied research.
The MedUni Vienna Biobank was a key cooperation partner, providing essential samples for the diagnostic evaluation of the test systems. For the validation of an antibody test, it is not only antibody-positive samples of infected persons or vaccinees that are important for investigating the sensitivity of the test, but also negative samples in order to be able to estimate the specificity, i.e. the occurrence of false positive test results. These should come from individuals who had never contact with the virus before. In the context of a pandemic, however, contact cannot be ruled out with certainty - biobanks therefore represent an essential resource, harbouring abundant pre-pandemic samples in which the presence of SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies is impossible, since the virus did not circulate at the time of collection. This example also illustrates the advantage of broad use consent for biobank samples: The 1,126 negative samples were collected as different, in part, disease-specific collectives. A donor's consent to use the samples in a broad research setting allows for rapid response to acute public health problems, such as a global pandemic.
Link to the scientific publication
2022-04-20
MedUni Wien Biobank successfully participated in IBBL Proficiency Testing Program in 2020
In 2020, MedUni Wien Biobank participated in a ring trial program which was established by the Integrated Biobank of Luxemburg (IBBL) and is endorsed by the International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories (ISBER). In the second year of participation, our biobank achieved highly favourable results. The certificates (Cerebrospinal fluid aliquoting, DNA isolation from whole blood, DNA concentration and purity assessment, Viable PBMC isolation) can be downloaded from section "Quality Certificates".
2021-04-14
Side by side comparison of three fully automated SARS-CoV-2 antibody assays with a focus on specificity
T Perkmann, N Perkmann-Nagele, M-K Breyer, R Breyer-Kohansal, OC Burghuber, S Hartl, D Aletaha, D Sieghart, P Quehenberger, R Marculescu, P Mucher, R Strassl, OF Wagner, CJ Binder, and H Haslacher
Clin Chem, 2020
Background
In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, numerous new serological test systems for the detection of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies rapidly have become available. However, the clinical performance of many of these is still insufficiently described. Therefore, we compared three commercial, CE-marked, SARS-CoV-2 antibody assays side by side.
Methods
We included a total of 1,154 specimens from pre-COVID-19 times and 65 samples from COVID-19 patients (≥14 days after symptom onset) to evaluate the test performance of SARS-CoV-2 serological assays by Abbott, Roche, and DiaSorin.
Results
All three assays presented with high specificities: 99.2% (98.6-99.7) for Abbott, 99.7% (99.2-100.0) for Roche, and 98.3% (97.3-98.9) for DiaSorin. In contrast to the manufacturers’ specifications, sensitivities only ranged from 83.1% to 89.2%. Although the three methods were in good agreement (Cohen’s Kappa 0.71-0.87), McNemar tests revealed significant differences between results obtained from Roche and DiaSorin. However, at low seroprevalences, the minor differences in specificity resulted in profound discrepancies of positive predictive values at 1% seroprevalence: 52.3% (36.2-67.9), 77.6% (52.8-91.5), and 32.6% (23.6-43.1) for Abbott, Roche, and DiaSorin, respectively.
Conclusion
We found diagnostically relevant differences in specificities for the anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody assays by Abbott, Roche, and DiaSorin that have a significant impact on the positive predictive values of these tests.
The article was published by Clinical Chemistry, which is the leading Top Journal in the field of laboratory medicine. The full text can be found at https://doi.org/10.1093/clinchem/hvaa198.
Samples were derived from the following collections:
Biobank for Rheumatic Diseases (Clinical Investigator: Prof. Daniel Aletaha), KILM Normalkollektiv, LEAD-Study (Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Lung Health)
2020-08-13
This web conference organized by Andrea Wutte (BBMRI-ERIC Quality Service) was aimed at biobanking experts and researchers with a follow-up on the open questions raised in the first web conference and, in addition, a strong focus on pre-analytical procedures in the hospital and biobanking setting.
“Routine processing of COVID-19 samples from the bedside to the laboratory and to the biobank” has been addressed, and it was discussed whether researchers have any “additional requirements for the sample quality”, when thinking of any scientifically driven downstream analysis.
Panel:
– Andrea Wutte, BBMRI-ERIC
– Lukasz Kozera, BBMRI-ERIC
– Helmuth Haslacher, Medical University Vienna
– Antonio di Caro, Italian Ministry of Health
– Peter Riegman, Erasmus MC
– Dunja Martin, Leibniz Institut DSMZ
– Dalibor Valik, BBMRI.cz Director
Recordings and presentations are available from https://www.bbmri-eric.eu/services/bbmriqm-covid.
2020-04-07
On March 31st, a webconference (with participation of Helmuth Haslacher, MedUni Wien Biobank) organized by Andrea Wutte, head of BBMRI-ERIC quality management service, took place. The webinar dealt with the risks and opportunities of biobanks during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemia. A recording of the webconference can be found at LINK.
For more information about BBMRI.QM conferences on Covid-19, go to https://www.bbmri-eric.eu/services/bbmriqm-covid.
2020-04-03
Please find information about SARS-CoV-2 related activities at Austrian biobanks at http://bbmri.at/bbmri.at-covid-19.
2020-04-03
MedUni Wien Biobank successfully participated in IBBL Proficiency Testing Program
In 2019, MedUni Wien Biobank participated in a ring trial program which was established by the Integrated Biobank of Luxemburg (IBBL) and is endorsed by the International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories (ISBER). In its first year of participation, our biobank achieved highly favourable results. The certificates (Cerebrospinal fluid aliquoting, DNA isolation from whole blood, DNA concentration and purity assessment) can be downloaded from our newly established webpage section "Quality Certificates".
2020-02-12
Seminar Biobanking und Probenarchivierung
Still free places for
Seminar 793.047: Biobanking und Probenarchivierung
Extent: 4 SWS
Elective course, open to students of all disciplines. Seminar countains E-Learning phase.
Attendance phase:
Monday, 16.12.2019: 13:00-16:45
Tuesday, 17.12.2019: 08:15-12:00
Wednesday, 18.12.2019: 08:15-12:00
Thursday, 19.12.2019: 09:15-13:00
Friday, 20.12.2019: 09:15-13:00
@Medical University of Vienna
Content: Concepts and types of biobanks, research ethics and legal framework, quality management in biomedical research, laboratroy pre-analytics.
Please register via MedCampus. For further questions please contact Mag. Dr. Helmuth Halsacher, helmuth.haslacher@meduniwien.ac.at.
2019-10-29
Career @MedUni Wien Biobank: Biomedical analyst
An der Medizinischen Universität Wien ist am Klinischen Institut für Labormedizin mit der Kennzahl: 19609/19 eine Stelle einer / eines vollbeschäftigten Biomedizinischen Analytikerin / Biomedizinischen Analytikers (gemäß Kollektivvertrag – Verwendungsgruppe IIIb) voraussichtlich mit 18. November 2019 zu besetzen.
Further informations: https://www.meduniwien.ac.at/web/karriere/offene-stellen/personalmitteilungsblatt-nr43/nr43-labormedizin-kennzahl-1960919/
2019-10-24
A letter reporting the quality-related outcome after the first five years of the Austrian biobank consortium BBMRI.at was published under the coordination of MedUni Wien Biobank and is now available online.
What is it about?
Non-reproducibility of scientific results is very frequent and often caused by inappropriate biomaterials. Hence, standardization of biomaterial processing could improve research reliability. Therefore, the Austrian biobanking consortium BBMRI.at supported its partner biobanks with the establishment of harmonized quality management system and biomaterial production processes. Moreover, BBMRI.at fostered joint improvement by the establishment of mutual cross audits. (KUDOS)
Publication: Haslacher, H., Bayer, M., Fiegl, H., Gerner, M., Hofer, P., Korb, M., Neururer, S., Perkmann, T., Plattner, K., Sargsyan, K., Steiner, E., Stumptner, C., Walter, I., Wieser, M., Wutte, A., Wagner, O., & Zatloukal, K. (2019). Quality management at the national biobanking level - establishing a culture of mutual trust and support: the BBMRI.at example. Clin Chem Lab Med. doi: 10.1515/cclm-2019-0491
2019-06-13
Advancing Biomarker Development Through Convergent Engagement: Summary Report of the 2nd International Danube Symposium on Biomarker Development, Molecular Imaging and Applied Diagnostics; March 14 – 16, 2018; Vienna, Austria
Abstract:
Here, we report on the outcome of the 2nd International Danube Symposium on advanced biomarker development that was held in Vienna, Austria, in early 2018. During the meeting, cross-speciality participants assessed critical aspects of non-invasive, quantitative biomarker development in view of the need to expand our understanding of disease mechanisms and the definition of appropriate strategies both for molecular diagnostics and personalised therapies. More specifically, panelists addressed the main topics, including the current status of disease characterisation by means of non-invasive imaging, histopathology and liquid biopsies as well as strategies of gaining new understanding of disease formation, modulation and plasticity to large-scale molecular imaging as well as integrative multi-platform approaches. Highlights of the 2018 meeting included dedicated sessions on non-invasive disease characterisation, development of disease and therapeutic tailored biomarkers, standardisation and quality measures in biospecimens, new therapeutic approaches and socio-economic challenges of biomarker developments. The scientific programme was accompanied by a roundtable discussion on identification and implementation of sustainable strategies to address the educational needs in the rapidly evolving field of molecular diagnostics. The central theme that emanated from the 2nd Donau Symposium was the importance of the conceptualisation and implementation of a convergent approach towards a disease characterisation beyond lesion-counting "lumpology" for a cost-effective and patient-centric diagnosis, therapy planning, guidance and monitoring. This involves a judicious choice of diagnostic means, the adoption of clinical decision support systems and, above all, a new way of communication involving all stakeholders across modalities and specialities. Moreover, complex diseases require a comprehensive diagnosis by converging parameters from different disciplines, which will finally yield to a precise therapeutic guidance and outcome prediction. While it is attractive to focus on technical advances alone, it is important to develop a patient-centric approach, thus asking "What can we do with our expertise to help patients?"
2019-05-03
©BBMRI.at - April 3-4th BBMRI.at held its Kick-off-Meeting for BBMRI.at #2. In the next 5 years until 2023 BBMRI.at will continue to strengthen the Austrian Biobanking Research Infrastructure and support researchers from academia and industry with high-quality biospecimens, associated data and biobanking services.
Strong focus will we put on sample and data quality, access to samples and data, lighthouse sample collections and engaging with various stakeholders.
Already last BBMRI.at received the funding commitment from the Austrian government (BMBFW) for the next five years.
The official a Kick-Off-Meeting of BBMRI.at was now held at Medical University of Innsbruck. Among the topics presented during the meeting were "Broad Consent", "Biobanks and Reproducible Research", "Animal model biobank", and the 3R animal concept (Replace, Reduce, Refine).
BBMRI.at integrates all Austrian medical universities and the University of Veterinary Medicine with their biobanks. New partner in BBMRI.at is the Johannes Kepler University with its Medical Faculty and its biobank in development.
2019-05-03
Seminar Biobanking und Probenarchivierung
Still free places for
Seminar 793.047: Biobanking und Probenarchivierung
Extent: 4 SWS
Elective course, open to students of all disciplines. Seminar countains E-Learning phase.
Attendance phase: 10. - 14.12.2018, 09:00-12:00, Medical University of Vienna
Content: Concepts and types of biobanks, research ethics and legal framework, quality management in biomedical research, laboratroy pre-analytics.
Please register via MedCampus. For further questions please contact Mag. Dr. Helmuth Halsacher, helmuth.haslacher@meduniwien.ac.at.
2018-10-31
Data and Scientific Impact of the Prospectively Established Fluid Bioresources at the Hospital-Based MedUni Wien Biobank.
Haslacher H, Gerner M, Hofer P, Jurkowitsch A, Hainfellner J, Kain R, Wagner OF, Perkmann T.
BACKGROUND AND AIM:
It is increasingly recognized that biomedical research has serious reproducibility issues, which could be overcome at least in part by standardized processing of biomaterials. Therefore, professional biobanks have emerged, positively influencing sample and data quality. However, quantitative data about a biobank's contribution to published results are still hard to find, although they could serve as valuable benchmark figures for the community. We therefore aimed to report usage data from the MedUni Wien Biobank facility regarding its prospective fluid cohorts.
METHODS:
Input and access statistics and publication output were reported for the years 2010-2017. Performance dynamics were tested by correlation analyses according to Spearman. Additionally, virtual costs per sample were calculated.
RESULTS:
The amount of annually collected aliquots rose significantly from 68,500 in 2010 to 151,966 in 2017 (p = 0.015), although no further increase was recorded after 2012 (p = 0.266). In the same period, the quotient of requested to stored aliquots increased from 3.5% to 6.1% (p = 0.001), as the yearly number of requested aliquots nearly quadrupled from 2401 to 9342. Likewise, the number of published research articles per year to which the MedUni Wien Biobank contributed increased from 2 (total impact factor: 8.6) in 2010 to 16 (total impact factor: 69.0) in 2017, resulting in a total of 69 identified publications. Currently, the biobank operates at 15- to 20-fold overproduction, leading to virtual costs per accessed sample of ∼€20.
CONCLUSION:
The reported usage data might serve as a benchmark for other hospital-integrated biobanks, and implies that academic biobanks are able to produce considerable scientific impact at comparable moderate costs.
Biopreservation and Biobanking, 18 Oct 2018 doi.org/10.1089/bio.2018.0032
Find open-access full text here
(Vienna, 15 June 2018) According to calculations from the World Health Organisation, depression occupies first place in the global "disease burden" and, by 2030, experts estimate that there will be three mental illnesses in the Top 5: depression, Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia and alcohol addiction. Even Austria is seeing an increase in mental problems such as burnout and, since 2010, these have been the main reason for invalidity retirement. Researchers from MedUni Vienna and the Health Insurance Agency’s Health and Prevention Center have now shown that burnout can be identified by means of a simple saliva test. The hormone cortisol is the marker used for this.
Cortisol is actually an anti-stress hormone, which activates metabolic break-down processes, thereby making energy-rich compounds available to the human body. Its damping effect on the immune system is also used to prevent over-reactions and to suppress inflammation. Cortisol is predominantly produced in the early morning on waking, to crank up the circulation, as it were.
In healthy people, the cortisol level then falls again over the course of the day – until there is practically no measurable cortisol left by the evening. The picture is very different for people who are under constant stress: the body keeps the cortisol level within the measurable range for much longer, in order to cope with the prevailing stress – if the stress then becomes "chronic", cortisol levels remain high without any normal daily pattern.
The three lead investigators, Helmuth Haslacher and Alexander Pilger from the Division of Medical-Chemical Laboratory Diagnostics (KILM) of MedUni Vienna and Robert Winker from the stress clinic at the Health and Prevention Center of the KFA (Health Insurance Agency) have now shown that elevated cortisol levels can be detected by means of a single saliva sample, taken either at midday or in the evening, so that the risk of burnout can be measured.
The study involved comparing the work-related stress and cortisol levels of burnout patients with those of healthy employees. "It was found that people who were identified as having a high level of work-related stress using psychological methods had noticeably higher cortisol values at midday and also in the evening. We also observed an improvement in the clinical course and cortisol levels of patients receiving treatment in the special stress clinic set up by the KFA. This means that we can use these markers for preventively identifying people who are at greater risk of burnout," say the experts. Follow-on studies are therefore to be conducted to evaluate this result and to develop a valid biochemical testing system for use in everyday clinical practice to identify high-risk candidates for burnout.
According to the researchers, compared with the previously used early-morning samples – taken three times after waking at fifteen-minute intervals – the midday and evening saliva samples also provided a much better and more reliable result: "Our current data indicate that people at risk of burnout can be identified from a single saliva sample with almost 100% accuracy, whereas the multiple early-morning sampling involved more laborious methods and produced a much larger range of variation." Reliable analysis is now possible just four hours after providing the sample and this method even produced better results than analysing stress-related blood parameters. "We will use these results to further reinforce our efforts to prevent stress-related illnesses in collaboration with the stress clinic of the KFA Health and Prevention Center.
Service: Scientific Reports
„Midday and nadir salivary cortisol appear superior to cortisol awakening response in burnout assessment and monitoring.“ A. Pilger, H. Haslacher, B. Mayer, A. Lackner, S. Nassan-Agha, S. Nistler, C. Stanglmaier, G. Endler, A. Mikulits, I. Priemer, F. Ratzinger, E. Ponocny-Seliger, E. Wohlschläger-Krenn, M. Teufelhart, H. Täuber, T. Scherzer, T. Perkmann, G. Jordakieva, L. Pezawas und R. Winker. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-27386-1
Media Articles:
English http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-5848883/Are-risk-burnout-job.html
German https://kurier.at/wissen/gesundheit/speichelproben-lassen-burnout-risiko-einschaetzen/400051706
Vice rector Michaela Fritz and the MedUni Wien Research Service Team invite all employees of the Medical University of Vienna to the 2018 "Infotag für ForscherInnen" (event held in German), which takes place on March 21st, 2018 (12:30 PM-16:30 PM) at the Jugendstilhörsaal, Spittalgasse 23, 2nd Floor, 1090 Wien.
From 14:30 to 15:30, a session about biobanking, the MedUni Wien core facilities, and ethical aspects of research will take place:
14:30 Biobanken, Core Facilities & Ethik
Errichtung von Biobanken
Helmuth Haslacher, Klinisches Institut für Labormedizin, stv. Koordinator der MedUni Wien Biobank KILM
MedUni Wien Biobank
Johannes Hainfellner, Leiter des Klinischen Institut für Neurologie, Koordinator der MedUni Wien Biobank KIN
Angebot der Core Facilities
Andreas Spittler, Leiter der Core Facility Flow Cytometry
Ethikkommission
Martin Brunner, Vorsitzender der Ethik Kommission
We look forward to seeing you!
MedUni Wien Biobank audited by national Biobank consortium BBMRI.at
2017-12-11 MedUni Wien Biobank successfully completed a quality management audit by the Austrian Biobank Consortium BBMRI.at based on the international QM standard ISO 9001 chapters on management and resource processes. The biobank's audit was the second in a row of mutual quality audits within the Austrian biobanking infrastructure, which aims to harmonize sample and data collection on the basis of common standards.
Seminar Biobanking und Probenarchivierung
Still free places for
Seminar 793.047: Biobanking und Probenarchivierung
Extent: 4 SWS
Elective course, open to students of all disciplines. Seminar countains E-Learning phase.
Content: Concepts and types of biobanks, research ethics and legal framework, quality management in biomedical research, laboratroy pre-analytics.
Please register via MedCampus. For further questions please contact Mag. Dr. Helmuth Halsacher, helmuth.haslacher@meduniwien.ac.at.
2017-10-29
The Austrian Platform for Personalized Medicine constitutes a national networking platform aiming to connect all stakeholders and interested parties in the field. The platform is open to individuals and organizations that would like to contribute to the future of personalized medicine in Austria.
The organizers cordially invite you to the inaugural event and scientific symposium, taking place on 19th and 20th October, 2017 at the Van Swieten Saal, MedUni Wien, Van-Swieten-Gasse 1a, 1090 Vienna.
Registration until October 3rd, 2017 under http://events.personalized-medicine.at/.
How to build a biobank – learning by doing (November 22-24, 2017) at the Medical University of Graz
For more information, please visit: http://biobank.medunigraz.at/education/biobanking-course/
Restration: http://biobank.medunigraz.at/education/biobanking-course/registration-2017/
(For information and any questions about registration please contact biobank@medunigraz.at)
Costs: 450 Euro (including scripts, coffee & lunch breaks, 1 evening event, sightseeing tour in Graz)
ECTS: 1, DFP: 23
Simple blood tests could be useful in predicting future performance of elderly marathon runners and bicyclists, researchers from the MedUni Wien Biobank and the Health and Prevention Center of the Healthcare Institution for City of Vienna employees found out.
One major goal of the Austrian biobanking consortium BBMRI.at was to enhance process quality by mutual audits, which should provide both, a subject-specific assessments of an auditee's QM system, as well as new strategies that can be adopted by the auditors at their home biobanks.
In this regard, the first QM audit based on the ISO standard 9001:2008 was conducted by Helmuth Haslacher (MedUni Wien Biobank), national quality manager of BBMRI.at, and his team from BBMRI.at workpackage 3 - Quality Management on March, 23th 2017 at Biobank Graz. Both parties reported to have gained valuable experience from the visit, which is only the first in a row.
| BBMRI.at-internal cross audit performed at partner Biobank Graz |  |
The MedUni Wien Biobank recently showed that, although some serum analytes are influenced by storage, complex temperature fluctuations produced by storage of and access to biospecimens in biobank freezers generate no additional variability.
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