Tissue Banking

Tissue Banking Marilyn Mason, Ph.D. September 9, 2008 New Handbook  Establishes policies and procedures for the collection of human biological specimens for research purposes, the reuse of previously collected research specimens, and the storage of human biological specimens for future research use.  Addresses the collection and storage of clinical data that may be linked to those specimens. Handbook, cont’d  Concurrence process usually takes months  New policies will not be implemented until after handbook has been approved What Handbook Covers  Non-banked specimens sent outside of the VA for analyses/testing  Specimens banked at a VA facility – PI-dedicated biorepository – Shared biorepository  Specimens banked outside of the VA – At non-profit or academic institution – At for-profit company Guidance Documents  Guidance, application forms, and checklists will be in guidance documents that will be posted on the ORD web site when the handbook is approved. Regulations  Common Rule (38 CFR Part 16)  HIPAA Privacy Rule (45 CFR 164)  VHA Handbook 1605.1--Privacy and Release of Information  VHA Handbook 1200.5--Requirements for the Protection of Human Subjects in Research  VA Handbook 6500--Information Security Program Biorepository Best Practices  International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories (ISBER) ―2008 Best Practices for Repositories‖ http://www.isber.org/Pubs/BestPractices2008.pdf  National Cancer Institute Best Practices for Biospecimen Resources (June 2007) http://biospecimens.cancer.gov/global/pdfs/NCI_Best_Pr actices_060507.pdf Survey of Veterans  >900 veterans from across the country, who receive care through the VA, completed a survey on their attitudes about genomic medicine  Included in the survey were questions about use of biological specimens for genetic studies by VA researchers, university researchers, and drug companies Survey of Veterans  83% veterans agreed that the genomic medicine program should be done  71% were willing to participate  Majority of veterans thought that the following types of researchers outside of the VA should have access to VA samples and data (in order listed): – US academic or medical centers – Other health-related government agencies – US pharmaceutical companies NIH GWAS Data  Late last month, NIH modified part of its policy for posting and access to genomic data in its genome-wide association studies (GWAS) databases.  White paper at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/gwas/  A genome-wide association study is defined as any study of genetic variation across the entire human genome that is designed to identify genetic associations with observable traits (such as blood pressure or weight), or the presence or absence of a disease or condition. NIH GWAS Data, cont’d  A research team at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) has developed bioinformatics techniques so that with enough genomic data on an individual from another source, it is possible to determine if that individual participated in the study by analyzing the pooled data. NIH GWAS Data, cont’d  To protect research participant privacy, NIH removed aggregate GWAS files form the public portion of its databases.  The data is still available to researchers, but they must now apply for access to the data and sign a data use agreement, in which they agree to protect the confidentiality of the data. Human Biological Specimens  Any material derived from a human subject—such as blood, urine, tissues, organs, hair, nail clippings, or any other cells or fluids  Whether collected for research purposes or as residual specimens from diagnostic, therapeutic, or surgical procedures Non-Banked (Stored) Human Biological Specimens Human biological specimens collected under a VA-approved protocol that are used for only the specific purposes defined in the protocol and are destroyed when the specific testing/use is completed or at the end of the protocol Banked Specimens  Biological specimens collected and stored for future research purposes that are beyond the scope of work described in the original protocol and informed consent OR  Biological specimens collected under a protocol designed for banking of specimens De-identified De-identified data is health or other information about an individual that:  Does not contain any of the 18 HIPAA identifiers AND  Is de-identified according to the Common Rule Coded information is not considered deidentified if the tissue bank or data coordinating center has access to the codes. What’s New?  Banking allowed at for-profit companies under certain conditions  Policy for on-site biorepositories  RCO will be responsible for auditing onsite biorepositories Banking at For-Profit Institutions  VA PI must obtain approval from Central Office  Company must enter into a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) with the VA  Banking must be part of an interventional clinical trial that is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov Banking at For-Profit Institutions, cont’d  Banking must not be a requirement of participation in the trial  A separate consent form for banking is required  Banked specimens must be labeled with a code that does not contain any of the 18 HIPAA identifiers before they leave the VA Banking at For-Profit Institutions, cont’d  The HIPAA authorization must have an expiration date  Company may have a limited data set, if they sign a data use agreement  Individual raw genetic data resulting from company’s analyses must be encrypted according to FIPS 140-2 standards  Company may share specimens only with its affiliates (not with other parties) On-Site Biorepositories  Must have a master banking protocol  Must undergo an annual compliance audit by the VA facility’s Research Compliance Officer. The results must be sent to ORO and ORD.  Two types: PI-dedicated and shared On-Site Biorepositories, cont’d  For shared type – If samples shared with investigators outside the VA, then must use materials transfer agreement (MTA) or MT CRADA. – For data (de-identified or limited data set) leaving VA, a data use agreement (DUA)/data transfer agreement (DTA) is required. Contact Information  Marilyn.Mason@va.gov  New phone number: 202-461-1682  Fax: 202-254-0521