PATH Foundation

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PATH ( Patients' Tumor Bank of Hope ) is a foundation based in Augsburg. She runs a biobank for breast cancer . Most of the founding members were members of the association Mamazone - women and research against breast cancer .

The foundation was established in 2002 and aims to support breast cancer research by providing high-quality tumor samples. For this purpose, PATH operates sample storage tanks with liquid nitrogen at seven German breast centers , in which tumor tissue and blood serum taken from breast cancer patients are stored. More than 7200 women have agreed to have their tissue stored since 2004 (as of January 2014). A central database supplements the biomaterial bank with important patient information. PATH is a joint venture between doctors, scientists and patients. With the collection of samples for cancer research , these partners want to jointly contribute to closing the gap between basic research and rapid implementation in clinical application.

concept

More efficient collection of sample material

For many scientists it is time-consuming and therefore often impossible to set up infrastructures for obtaining high-quality sample material for basic research and clinical research . In many cases, the creation of a tissue collection is made more difficult because it is not clearly regulated who can dispose of the removed tumor tissue. It is often impossible for the individual scientist to get follow-up data on patients. These circumstances were shown by Axel Ullrich , who developed the breast cancer drug trastuzumab and is a member of the scientific advisory board of PATH. PATH wants to solve these problems through a central administration of the sample material, through standardized data documentation and through regular collection of follow-up data.

approach

Breast cancer patients are informed at the cooperating clinics about the possibility of storing their tissue and blood serum at PATH. In the case of informed consent , the tumor tissue removed during the operation is divided into equal parts ( aliquots ) immediately after the routine diagnosis . A part is kept exclusively for the patient, all other samples are donated by the patient to the PATH foundation for research purposes. The samples are processed at all cooperation clinics according to uniform, strict quality standards (in accordance with current Good Clinical Practice (cGCP)) and frozen in the gas phase of liquid nitrogen (approx. -160 ° C).

Standardized and uniform processing of samples

The processing, labeling and storage of the tumor and normal tissue and the blood serum aliquots follow standard operating procedures that were specially developed for PATH. The size of the (tumor) tissue samples and maximum ischemia times, as well as the dwell times of the blood samples until they clot , are specified in these SOPs and documented.

Structure of PATH

The voluntary board of directors of the PATH Foundation consists of three people; according to the statutes, two of them must be breast cancer patients. In addition to representing the foundation externally, e.g. B. at conferences or with scientific partners, the board plans and decides on the work and the orientation of the tumor bank. The operational tasks are organized by the PATH office in Munich. Two full-time research assistants work there. You will be supported in database work and in follow-up by working students.

Comprehensive documentation of patient data

The PATH database contains a large amount of information that is essential for the use of the samples for research purposes. The database solution is located on a stand-alone computer without an Internet connection to protect the data from unauthorized access. In addition, the personal data are physically separated from the further data. These personal data will not be passed on under any circumstances. The database contains e.g. B. Information on the number of different samples, ischemia / dwell times of the samples until the freezing process, age and gender of the patient, previous illnesses, type and date of diagnosis, menopausal status, staging / grading , histopathology , receptor status ( HER2 / new , ER and PR status), therapy recommendations, as well as previous (neoadjuvant) therapies, survival status, events (locoregional relapse, distant metastases) and course of therapy.

Cooperation clinics

(As of January 2014)

  • Bonn: Evangelical Clinics Bonn gGmbH, Johanniter Hospital
  • Dortmund: St. Johannes Hospital Dortmund , Breast Center
  • Bochum / Herne: Marienhospital Herne University Women's Clinic, Cooperative Breast Center Bochum / Herne; St. Anna Hospital, Cooperative Breast Center Bochum / Herne
  • Kassel: Klinikum Kassel GmbH, IBZ - Interdisciplinary Breast Center
  • Marburg: Clinic for Gynecology, Gynecological Endocrinology and Oncology, University Hospital Gießen and Marburg GmbH, Marburg location, Breast Center Regio
  • Offenbach: Clinic for Gynecology and Obstetrics, Klinikum Offenbach GmbH
  • Regensburg: Clinic for Gynecology and Obstetrics of the University of Regensburg at the Caritas Hospital St. Josef

Sampling

Scientists from academic groups and from industry can apply for samples to be given.

Scientific projects

  • Accepted as poster presentation at the AACR Meeting 2014: Anzeneder, T., Mayer, C., Ohlms, U., Schmitt, DC, Waldner, C., Büttner, R., Bodenmüller, H .: The PATH biobank - procedures and results of a breast cancer biospecimen research resource.
  • Accepted as poster presentation at the IMPAKT Meeting 2014: Mayer, C., Ohlms, U., Schmitt, DC, Waldner, C., Bodenmüller, H., Anzeneder, T .: The PATH biobank: Re-consenting patients regarding genomic research.
  • Fick, E.-M, Anzeneder T., Katalinic A., Waldmann A .: Bisphosphonates and their Role in Therapy for Breast Cancer - Results from the PATH Biobank., Obstsh Frauenheilk, 73, 412-421, 2013
  • Kloten V., Becker B., Winner K., Schrauder MG, Fasching PA, Anzeneder T., Veeck J., Hartmann A., Knuchel R., Dahl E .: Promoter hypermethylation of the tumor suppressor genes ITIH5, DKK3, and RASSF1A as novel biomarkers for blood-based breast cancer screening., Breast Cancer Research, 15: R4, 2013
  • Gevensleben, H., Göring, U., Büttner, R., Heukamp, ​​L., Kunz, G., Dimpfl, T., Jackisch, D., Ortmann, O., Albert, U., Bender, U., de Snoo, F., Krijgsman, O., Glas, A., Ergönenc, Y., Vogel, C., Dykgers, A., Langwieder, C., Rees, M., Anzeneder, T .: Comparison of MammaPrint and Target Print results with clinical parameters in German patients with early stage breast cancer., International Journal of Molecular Medicine, 26, 837-843, 2010

PATH in the media

  • Ohlms, U., Anzeneder, T .: Freezing for Research - The Breast Cancer Tumor Bank of the PATH Foundation., TumorDiagnostik &herapie, 33, 61–62, 2012
  • Mason, E., Schmitt, DC, Biobanking: The view from the Patients end of the microscope, PATH - The Patients' Tumor Bank of Hope run by Patients for Patients., BIG Newsletter, 13/2, 3-6, 2011
  • Jackisch, C., Braun, S., Fuhljahn, C., Schmidt, HU, Thill, M .: PATH- Patients' Tumor Bank of Hope. The world's only tumor bank by patients for patients - a new form of clinical research in Germany

National and international biobank initiatives

In order to make biobanks in Germany more visible and understandable, the German Biobank Register was founded, which is operated by the TMF - Technology and Methods Platform for Networked Medical Research and funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research . The PATH Foundation is registered in this biobank register. BBMRI-ERIC ( European Research Infrastructure Consortium ) is a comparable project at European level . The importance of biobanks is also shown in the "National Biobank Initiative", which is funded by the BMBF with EUR 18 million.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Goldmann-Posch U .: The knot over my heart , Munich 1999, p. 295 f.
  2. ^ Scientific Advisory Board of the PATH Foundation Website of the PATH Foundation. Retrieved March 3, 2014.
  3. ↑ Freezing for Research - The PATH Foundation's Breast Cancer Tumor Bank. In: Senologie - Journal for Mammadiagnostik und -therapie. 8, 2012, p. 18, doi : 10.1055 / s-0032-1312014 .
  4. ↑ PATH article BIG ( Memento of the original from February 22, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Website of the PATH Foundation. Accessed March 3, 2014. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / stiftungpath.org
  5. ↑ PATH article Hessisches Ärzteblatt ( Memento of the original from February 24, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Website of the State Medical Association of Hesse. Accessed March 3, 2014 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.laekh.de
  6. ↑ Technology and method platform for networked medical research eV Website of the TMF. Accessed March 3, 2014
  7. ↑ Biobank Register Website of the German Biobank Register. Accessed March 3, 2014
  8. ↑ BBMRI ( Memento of the original dated February 2, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. BBMRI website. Accessed March 3, 2014 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / bbmri.eu
  9. ↑ National Biomaterial Banks Initiative ( Memento of the original from February 22, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. BMBF website. Accessed March 3, 2014 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.gesundheitsforschung-bmbf.de