09 Sep Storage Time Can Effect Plasma Biomarker Results
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Stefan Enroth, Associate Professor, PhD
Dept. of Immunology, Genetics & Pathology
Uppsala University
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: One basic requirement of life science research is the quality of samples. Proper handling and rigorous biobanking of clinical samples is very important when for instance collecting samples for rare diseases, for monitoring individual variation in longitudinal studies and when conducting prospective studies of biomarkers and risk of developing for instance cardiovascular disease. In epidemiological studies using case and control cohorts, great care is taken to ensure that the cases and controls are matched in terms of for instance age, anthropometrics and lifestyle exposures such as smoking or alcohol consumption. Technical factors and sampling handling history are not as commonly used. There has been a lack of studies that systematically investigated the effects of for instance storage-time on a larger set of plasma proteins. With emerging high-throughput technologies enabling measurements of a high number of proteins simultaneously on a population level, biomarker research will enter a new era and the more knowledge we have on what factors that influence circulating biomarker levels – such as plasma proteins, the higher the chances are of finding new clinically important biomarkers for disease.
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings?
Response: We show that the the storage-time alone explains up to 35% of the variation seen in plasma protein concentrations in frozen biobanked samples from health women. To put this in context, individual age at sampling which is a commonly used covariate in epidemiological studies, was found to explain similar fractions of the observed variance remaning after adjusting for storage-time. We also found strong effects from which month the original samples were drawn and can conclude that there are strong seasonal variation in the plasma protein concentrations.
MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?
Response: To include key sample handling history parameters such as storage time and original sampling month along-side with e.g. age or smoking status in future studies.
MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?
Response: Our samples were collected in the Umeå-area which is located in the North of Sweden. Located only 400 km south of the polar circle, this region have large difference in e.g. the amount of sunlight during winter and summer and we were able to explain some of the seasonal variation seen with sunlight hours. Other climate zones are however likely to have other factors contributing to the plasma protein profiles and more studies are needed to discover additional important parameters.
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Last Updated on September 9, 2016 by Marie Benz MD FAAD