The Swiss Spinal Cord Injury Cohort Study (SwiSCI) biobank: from concept to reality

Spinal Cord, 2024 · DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41393-024-00958-x · Published: January 29, 2024

Spinal Cord Injury Research Methodology & Design

Simple Explanation

This article describes the establishment and operation of the Swiss Spinal Cord Injury Cohort Study (SwiSCI) biobank, detailing the types of biosamples collected (serum, plasma, PBMCs, RNA, DNA, and urine) from participants at admission and discharge from rehabilitation centers. The SwiSCI biobank serves as a research platform within the SwiSCI cohort, providing services to related projects and clinical trials focusing on the Spinal Cord Injury population. The biobank's longitudinal collection of biospecimens and cryopreservation techniques are essential for ensuring research reproducibility and achieving sufficient sample sizes for future investigations.

Study Duration

7 Years

Participants

524 individuals, 315 agreed to donate biospecimens

Evidence Level

Not specified

Key Findings

1
The SwiSCI study obtained informed consent from 524 individuals, with 315 agreeing to donate biospecimens to the biobank.
2
The average age of biosample contributors was 54 years, with the majority being male (80%) and suffering from traumatic injuries (66%) classified as paraplegic (64%).
3
Approximately 80% of participants presented with motor and sensory-incomplete SCI, and paired biosamples at two distinct time points were provided by 63% to 65% of participants.

Research Summary

The SwiSCI biobank is a platform for research within SwiSCI. It collects and processes serum, plasma, PBMCs, RNA, DNA, and urine from three rehabilitation centers. Between the SwiSCI biobank establishment on June 27th, 2016, and October 19th, 2023, the SwiSCI Study has obtained informed consent from 524 individuals. Of these, 315 (60.1%) have agreed to donate biospecimens to the biobank. The SwiSCI biobank is a unique platform designed to serve as a basis for collaborative SCI research, including multi-omics approaches.

Practical Implications

Facilitating Collaborative Research

The SwiSCI biobank provides a basis for building collaborative national and international projects, potentially increasing the quality of research and lowering the burden on individuals with SCI.

Promoting FAIR Data Principles

Layering multi-omics data on top of clinical data and improving standardization and harmonization of metadata among SCI biobanks internationally can facilitate FAIR data principles.

Enhancing Understanding of SCI

The biobank's potential can be used in basic research and clinical practice to develop a better understanding of health and functioning post-injury.

Study Limitations

1
The presence of participation bias, with older persons, women, persons with lower functional independence, and those with NTSCI being less likely to participate.
2
Variations in samples collection/processing among the participating rehabilitation centers, likely driven by integrated clinical routine sampling at SPZ and variations in processing procedures.
3
Recruitment and sampling may be challenging, requiring careful planning of resources to provide continued support to the SwiSCI study center.

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