CPC-M bioArchive

The CPC-M bioArchive retrieves, manages and issues >30,000 samples from >3000 patients  related to all major lung diseases including Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD), Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia, Lung Cancer, Asthma, and Pulmonary hypertension (PH), thereby spanning common and rare lung diseases from birth to the elderly, complemented by control samples from healthy individuals. The biological material includes native tissue and its derivatives such as primary cell isolates, formalin-fixed and cryopreserved samples, blood and its derivatives, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluids, sputum, tracheal aspirates, urine and pleural effusions.

Our mission is to provide researchers with a comprehensive collection of biosamples and associated clinical data covering key chronic lung diseases alongside respective control samples for high-end research projects. Our core units perform and support highest standards of SOP-regulated sample handling and processing, culture, genotyping, live cell imaging and immunophenotyping.

All patients and their respective samples are double-pseudonymized by an external, independent identity manager to ensure the protection of patients’ personal data. Incoming samples are processed and prepared for long-term storage by our team of scientists and technicians while sample-IDs and a minimal clinical dataset are entered into an electronic database. Clinical data are stored and managed using our designated software tools, while all datasets including image data are collected in a virtual data warehouse. To ensure the responsible and traceable use of patient material and data, access to all physical samples, clinical and phenotypic information is highly regulated and subject to approval of individual research projects by the steering committee.

Together with the Office for Translational Research (OTR, Dr. Anita Marguerie de Rotrou) of the University of Cambridge, the CPC-M bioArchive is coordinating the STAR TRACK project (STrategic Alliance to initiate pARtnerships in TRAnslational Cardiopulmonary research) within the „LMU-Cambridge Strategic Partnership“ since 2018. The scientific collaborations build on the expertise at both sites and are fostered by visits, lectures, workshops and seminars of leading scientists and junior scientists.

With a growing number of collaborations in highly relevant research projects and consortial efforts, the demand for biological samples is on the rise, urging the CPC-M bioArchive to continually expand. In collaboration with other DZL locations, challenges in sample handling, data management and protection are addressed including efforts for automated data integration. Increasing digitalization facilitates both the administration and exchange of diverse biological samples and data.