Establishing a QA/QC Unit at MIDGAM: a Key to Standardization and Successful Downstream Applicability

The Israeli Biorepository Network for Research (MIDGAM), was established in 2014, to create a national infrastructure to promote biomedical research in Israel, supporting academia and industry. Biosamples donated in a number of medical centers in Israel are collected, processed and preserved in order to provide scientists access to human samples annotated with relevant health information. Biobanks need to ensure that samples are interchangeable, without institution-dependent intrinsic bias, offering researchers an assurance of the accuracy, reproducibility, and comparability of results. Sample quality underpins the accuracy of subsequent studies conducted and can impact on the reproducibility and robustness of data obtained. For these purposes, the QA/QC unit was established at MIDGAM.

As a part of our QA/QC program, the first step which included sterility tests, nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) purification and sample volume accuracy were performed during March 2018. Blood, bone marrow and tissue samples from consented donors diagnosed with various GI malignancies undergoing surgical resection, were randomly chosen for this examination.

We found that despite implementation of homogeneous protocols for sample collection, differences in sample quality were observed. Following sterility testing, bacterial contamination was observed in 25% of the examined samples. Streptococci, Pseudomonas, Actinomyces and other types of human flora were found. In addition, following DNA/RNA purification data analysis, a direct and strong correlation between RIN values, 260/280/230 parameters, and sample concentration was obtained. Low nucleic acid concentrations were associated with decreased quality values.

In conclusion, the implementation of a QC program is a mandatory requirement for the network’s success.