Australian Biobanks and Cohort studies

Contributing to the health of the community

Lisa Devereux

ABNA President 2013 - 2014

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Overview of biobank activity in Australia

-Cohorts vs Biobanks and some models of biobanking

-Funding and sustainability

-Key contribution of Pathologists

-Some areas of health in which cohort and biobank supported

research is contributing to health & well being

-Acknowledging ABNA members

Australian Biobanks and Cohorts N> 30

International Biobanks

Europe N>80

Canada N>14

USA N>158

Asia N>25

Middle East N>4

www.abna.org

www.specimencentral.com

Africa N>3

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ASPREE Australian Ovarian Cancer Study (AOCS)

Australian Breast Cancer Tissue Bank Australian Brain Bank Network

Australian Prostate Cancer Bioresource Australasian Leukaemia and Lymphoma Group Tissue Bank (ALLG)

Australian Mesothelioma Tissue Bank Australian Pancreatic Cancer Genome Initiative

Australian Breast Cancer Family Study& Colorectal Cancer Family Study

Aust Schizophrenia Research Biobank

Brisbane Breast Bank Baker IDI Biobank

Cancer 2015 CASCADE

Cancer Lifestyle and Evaluation of Risk (CLEAR)

Gynaecological Oncology Biobank at Westmead Millennium Institute

Genetic Repositories Australia Health 2020

kConFab ISKS

Health Science Alliance (HSA) Biobank Lifepool

Melbourne Melanoma Project Paediatric Tumour Banks (Children’s Hospital at Westmead, QLD Childrens, Murdoch RCH)

St John of God Pathology WA Tissue Bank Victorian Cancer Biobank (VCB)

WA DNA Bank-WA Childhood Diabetes DNA Bank 2

ASPREE Aust Ovarian Cancer Study (AOCS)$1mil

Australian Breast Cancer Tissue Bank $2mil Australian Brain Bank Network $2mil

Australian Prostate Cancer Bioresource$2.1mil

Australasian Leukaemia and Lymphoma Group Tissue Bank (ALLG) $1.5mil

Australian Breast Cancer Family Study Australian Pancreatic Cancer Genome Initiative

Australian Colorectal Cancer Family Study Aust Schizophrenia Research Biobank

Brisbane Breast Bank Baker IDI Biobank

Cancer 2015 CASCADE

Cancer Lifestyle and Evaluation of Risk (CLEAR)

Gynaecological Oncology Biobank at Westmead Millennium Institute

Genetic Repositories Australia $1.5mil Health 2020 $1.5mil

kConFab ISKS

Health Science Alliance (HSA) Biobank Lifepool

Melbourne Melanoma Project Paediatric Tumour Banks (Children’s Hospital at Westmead, QLD Childrens, Murdoch RCH)

St John of God Pathology WA Tissue Bank Victorian Cancer Biobank (VCB)

Twin Registry $1.75 WA DNA Bank- $1.375milWA Childhood Diabetes DNA Bank $1.75mil

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Australasian Biospecimen Network-Oncology

QIMR Cell Line Bank

Brisbane Breast Bank

Tumour Bank at Children’s

Hospital at Westmead

Westmead Gynaecological

Oncology Tissue Bank

Australian Mesothelioma

Tissue Bank kConFabPeter Mac

Tissue Bank[ WARTN ]

NH&MRC Enabling Grant funded 2004 $1.75 mil

Hub & spoke model

Partial funding for enhanced tissue collection

Hub management & tissue specimen locator

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http://abrn.net/

http://www.viccancerbiobank.org.au

Victorian Cancer Biobank

Consortium led by Prof Paul Waring, sponsored by CCV

State Government funded ( initial tranche $7mil )

Leveraged existing biobank activity at 4 major Melbourne sites:

• Austin Ludwig

• Melbourne Health

• Southern Health

• Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre

VCB as a new biobank entity, with oversight of access, distribution and

governance

Funding for Pathology registrars for defined period, now ceased

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Biobank:

Remnant tissue after surgery, collected through the treating pathologist.

Often both snap frozen and FFPE, sometimes fresh for specific research

+/- peripheral blood +/- fractionation into plasma, serum, buffy coat

Pathology report

[Pathology laboratories as biobanks]

Cohort:

Epidemiological data

Remant tissue after surgery

Peripheral blood, often serial collections to cover diagnosis, pre-treatment,

recurrence timepoints

Clinical updates, response to therapy

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Funding Source Number of Biobanks

NH&MRC only 0

NH&MRC and one other* 4

NH&MRC and two others* 2

State Cancer Council/Agency only 2

State Cancer Council and one other* 1

University operations funding 1

Philanthropic funding only 1

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*‘Other’ includes National Breast Cancer Foundation, Parkinsons Victoria,

Leukaemia Foundation, Prostate Cancer Foundation

Summary of Biobank Sustainability Survey for 2013 N=12

In kind support : floor space

Utilities

Staff support infrastructure, eg HR & payroll

Operating Budget Range $100,000 to $600,000

Cost Recovery fees levied by 75% of responding biobanks.

Range of income $0 to $100,000 p.a

Range of cost recovery as % of total operating budget 4-20%

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Publication data for 2 established cohorts

kConFab www.kconfab.org (2000)

8

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

kConFab publications over time

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

AOCS publications over time

AOCS www.aocstudy.org

(2006)

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CASCADE [Cancer Tissue Collected after Death]

Prof Stephen Cordner (VIFM)

AOCS, kConFab & Melbourne Melanoma Project (Peter Mac)

Enabling collection of metastatic tumour deposits. [Median

number of sites sampled per donor =16, range 4 to 26]

Aim to collect tissue within 4 hours of death. [Range of

collection times currently 3.5 to 12 hours]

Supporting key research into drug resistance, tumour

metastasis using PDX

Kathryn Alsop

Heather Thorne10

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Australian Pancreatic Cancer Genome Intitiative

2004-

Contribution to International Cancer Genome Initiative

Translational research enabled by APCGI

IMPaCT [ Individualised Molecular Pancreatic Cancer Therapy]

-prospectively testing the feasibility of molecular phenotyping and

response to targeted therapies which were discovered through ICGC

sequencing efforts. Phase II clinical trial with patients randomized to

either gemcitabine or targeted therapy.

-have returned individual research results deemed of significance to 26

patients to date, with several of them impacting current treatment or

diagnosis, and others surrounding cancer susceptibility with relevance to

other family members

http://genomemedicine.com/content/6/5/42/abstract

Amber Johns

Lifepool

Large population cohort >51,000 participants to date

Extensive health & lifestyle data, mammogram images. Participants who are

diagnosed with breast cancer consent to access of archival tumour tissue and

clinical information

Peripheral blood is collected from women with and without breast cancer through

contract with major private pathology laboratory. N=>5,000 donations to date

Tissue Microarrays created from borrowed archival tumour blocks. N=650 cases to

date

Close interaction with Pathology Departments across public and private sector

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COST

Biobanks and Cohorts in Australia: range and depth of resources

Significant contribution to translational research

Key collaborations with Pathologists across public and private sector

Australasian Biospecimen Network Association members

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http://www.mcri.edu.au/research/themes/cbdd/cancer/childrenscancerce

ntretissuebank/

http://www.aspree.org/AUS/aspree-content/aspree-sub-

studies/biobank.aspx

Aspirin in reducing events in the elderly

https://www.abctb.org.au/

http://www.austbrainbank.org.au/ vic, wa, sa, qld, nsw, Sydney

https://www.apcbioresource.org.au/

http://www.allg.org.au/tissue-bank.html

http://www.pancreaticcancer.net.au/research/about-apgi

https://www.bakeridi.edu.au/technology_capabilities/biobank/

http://clearstudy.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/CCNSW-

Biobank2.pdf

http://cancer2015.org/about

http://epi.unimelb.edu.au/research/major_research_programs/resource_

study/australian_breast_cancer_family_registry

www.schizophreniaresearch.org.au

https://www.neura.edu.au/GRA

http://www.wmi.org.au/ourresearch/cancer/Pages/Gynobiobank.aspx

Gynaeoncology Biobank at Westmead Millennium Institute

http://www.cancervic.org.au/research/epidemiology/health_2020

http://www.tcrn.unsw.edu.au/researchers

http://www.australiansarcomagroup.org/sarcomakindredstudy

http://www.viccancerbiobank.org.au/

www.lifepool.org