Refining Vascular Composite Allotransplantation (VCA) into a useful therapeutic option for patients in need of tissue reconstruction depends on the availability of biological specimens and data to support comprehensive clinical and translational studies. Translational VCA studies are often limited by reduced specimen and data collection. The Vascularized Composite Allotransplantation Collaborative Initiative (VCAci) Biobank is an established joint effort of 5 outstanding institutions that provides access to high quality pre-clinical and clinical tissue and blood samples facilitating enhanced statistical power for clinical and translational studies. A goal of the VCAci Biobank is to increase the overall n available for data analysis, enabling enhanced statistical power for clinical and translational studies.

We have developed and implemented a process across institutions to allow for standardization and centralization of specimen and data collection. The VCAci Biobank utilizes standardized sample collection, processing, receiving, transfer, and shipping across sites. Protocol standardization has been validated and routine quality control is in place. A VCA-specific REDCap database has been developed and implemented to collect standardized data sets for human, non-human primate, swine, and murine studies. Specimens and data collected through the VCAci are transferred and housed in a central location to maintain integrity and security. Sample acquisition has begun and the VCAci is estimated to share over 20,000 samples, increasing the power of VCA clinical studies compared to an individual site. Samples include pre-clinical (~5000) and clinical (~15,000) VCA allograft biopsies with corresponding biopsies from native skin, muscle, nerve, vein and artery as well as blood and urine.The systematic standardization of these processes allows for specimens and data acquired through the VCAci to establish a library of tissues and fluids representative of the scope of immune-related conditions in VCA with significant power to be studied in hypothesis-testing and hypothesis-generating evaluations.

The VCAci Biobank serves as a model for comprehensive support for clinical and translational research in VCA. The VCAci contributes to a bank of high-quality, well-characterized biological samples combined to develop a comprehensive digital library of VCA relevant disease processes facilitating the study of VCA.

CITATION INFORMATION: Cheeseman J, Joshi M.-B, Leopardi F, Osborne R, Conlon D, Stempora L, Song M, Cendales L. Vascular Composite Allotransplantation Collaborative Initiative Biobank: Bringing the Power Back to Research. Am J Transplant. 2016;16 (suppl 3).

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