title: Performance in omics analyses of blood samples in long-term storage: opportunities for the exploitation of existing biobanks in environmental health research.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The suitability for omic analysis of biosamples collected in previous decades and currently stored in biobanks is unknown.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We evaluated the influence of handling and storage conditions of blood-derived biosamples on transcriptomic, epigenomic (CpG methylation), plasma metabolomic [UPLC-ToFMS (ultra performance liquid chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry)], and wide-target proteomic profiles.
  
  
  METHODS
  We collected fresh blood samples without RNA preservative in heparin, EDTA, or citrate and held them at room temperature for ≤ 24 hr before fractionating them into buffy coat, erythrocytes, and plasma and freezing the fractions at -80oC or in liquid nitrogen. We developed methodology for isolating RNA from the buffy coats and conducted omic analyses. Finally, we analyzed analogous samples from the EPIC-Italy and Northern Sweden Health and Disease Study biobanks.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Microarray-quality RNA could be isolated from buffy coats (including most biobank samples) that had been frozen within 8 hr of blood collection by thawing the samples in RNA preservative. Different anticoagulants influenced the metabolomic, proteomic, and to a lesser extent transcriptomic profiles. Transcriptomic profiles were most affected by the delay (as little as 2 hr) before blood fractionation, whereas storage temperature had minimal impact. Effects on metabolomic and proteomic profiles were noted in samples processed ≥ 8 hr after collection, but no effects were due to storage temperature. None of the variables examined significantly influenced the epigenomic profiles. No systematic influence of time-in-storage was observed in samples stored over a period of 13-17 years.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Most samples currently stored in biobanks are amenable to meaningful omics analysis, provided that they satisfy collection and storage criteria defined in this study.
authors: Department of Toxicogenomics, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
authors: Dennie G A J
authors: DG
authors: Hebels
authors: Panagiotis
authors: P
authors: Georgiadis
authors: Hector C
authors: HC
authors: Keun
authors: Toby J
authors: TJ
authors: Athersuch
authors: Paolo
authors: P
authors: Vineis
authors: Roel
authors: R
authors: Vermeulen
authors: Lützen
authors: L
authors: Portengen
authors: Ingvar A
authors: IA
authors: Bergdahl
authors: Göran
authors: G
authors: Hallmans
authors: Domenico
authors: D
authors: Palli
authors: Benedetta
authors: B
authors: Bendinelli
authors: Vittorio
authors: V
authors: Krogh
authors: Rosario
authors: R
authors: Tumino
authors: Carlotta
authors: C
authors: Sacerdote
authors: Salvatore
authors: S
authors: Panico
authors: Jos C S
authors: JC
authors: Kleinjans
authors: Theo M C M
authors: TM
authors: de Kok
authors: Martyn T
authors: MT
authors: Smith
authors: Soterios A
authors: SA
authors: Kyrtopoulos
mesh_terms: D000925:Anticoagulants / Q000737:chemistry; D018070:Biological Specimen Banks; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D004782:Environmental Health / Q000379:methods; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling / Q000379:methods*; D023281:Genomics / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D055432:Metabolomics / Q000379:methods*; D012313:RNA / Q000032:analysis*; D013048:Specimen Handling; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000925:Anticoagulants; D015415:Biomarkers; D012313:RNA
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