Dataset Information

Morocco's First Biobank: Establishment, Ethical Issues, Biomedical Research Opportunities, and Challenges.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Biobanks are highly organized infrastructures that allow the storage of human biological specimens associated with donors' personal and clinical data. These infrastructures play a key role in the development of translational medical research. In this context, we launched, in November 2015, the first biobank in Morocco (BRO Biobank) in order to promote biomedical research and provide opportunities to include Moroccan and North African ethnic groups in international biomedical studies. Here, we present the setup and the sample characteristics of BRO Biobank.

Methods

Patients were recruited at several departments of two major health-care centers in the city of Oujda. Healthy donors were enrolled during blood donation campaigns all over Eastern Morocco. From each participant, personal, clinical, and biomedical data were collected, and several biospecimens were stored. Standard operating procedures have been established in accordance with international guidelines on human biobanks.

Results

Between November 2015 and July 2020, 2446 participants were recruited into the BRO Biobank, of whom 2013 were healthy donors, and 433 were patients. For healthy donors, the median age was 35 years with a range between 18 and 65 years and the consanguinity rate was 28.96%. For patients, the median age was 11 years with a range between 1 day and 83 years. Among these patients, 55% had rare diseases (hemoglobinopathies, intellectual disabilities, disorders of sex differentiation, myopathies, etc.), 13% had lung cancer, 4% suffered from hematological neoplasms, 3% were from the kidney transplantation project, and 25% had unknown diagnoses. The BRO Biobank has collected 5092 biospecimens, including blood, white blood cells, plasma, serum, urine, frozen tissue, FFPE tissue, and nucleic acids. A sample quality control has been implemented and suggested that samples of the BRO Biobank are of high quality and therefore suitable for high-throughput nucleic acid analysis.

Conclusions

The BRO Biobank is the largest sample collection in Morocco, and it is ready to provide samples to national and international research projects. Therefore, the BRO Biobank is a valuable resource for advancing translational medical research.

SUBMITTER: Lhousni S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7738781 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Morocco's First Biobank: Establishment, Ethical Issues, Biomedical Research Opportunities, and Challenges.

Lhousni Saida S Belmokhtar Karam Yahya KY Belmokhtar Ihab I Elidrissi Errahhali Mounia M Elidrissi Errahhali Manal M Boulouiz Redouane R Tajir Mariam M Charif Majida M Zerrouki Khawla K Benajiba Noufissa N Rkain Maria M Babakhouya Abdeladim A Kouismi Hatim H Thouil Afaf A Latrach Hanane H Amrani Rim R Messaoudi Sahar S Ayyad Anass A Sidqi Zaina Z Andaloussi Serraj Khalid K Hamaz Siham S Alaoui Habiba H Bachir Houda H Bentata Yassamine Y Haddiya Intissar I Choukri Mohammed M Seddik Rachid R Bennani Amal A Dikhaye Siham S Oneib Bouchra B Elghazouani Fatima F El Mahi Omar O Benzirar Adnane A Oufkir Ayat Allah AA Housni Brahim B Mimouni Ahmed A Saadi Hanane H Belahcen Mohammed M El Harroudi Tijani T Ouarzane Meryem M Bellaoui Mohammed M

BioMed research international 20201208

<h4>Background</h4>Biobanks are highly organized infrastructures that allow the storage of human biological specimens associated with donors' personal and clinical data. These infrastructures play a key role in the development of translational medical research. In this context, we launched, in November 2015, the first biobank in Morocco (BRO Biobank) in order to promote biomedical research and provide opportunities to include Moroccan and North African ethnic groups in international biomedical s ...[more]

PMID: 33376744

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Dataset Information

Morocco's First Biobank: Establishment, Ethical Issues, Biomedical Research Opportunities, and Challenges.

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Morocco's First Biobank: Establishment, Ethical Issues, Biomedical Research Opportunities, and Challenges.

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