The Iranian Childhood Cancer Biobank

Abstract

Background: Biological resources, along with patient-related clinical data, are basically required for personalized medicine and translational research. In this regard, pediatric cancer biobanks have considerable significance due to their special challenges, which include the need for long-term sample collection (due to high diversity and rare tumors), the difficulty of working with children, as well as the limited volume of samples available in children. Methods: After obtaining all necessary approvals (from the ethics committee, scientific board, and financial support), standard operating procedures (SOPs) were defined for all aspects of the biobank procedures, including equipping the lab, sample collection, processing, storage, as well as clinical data recording. Results: Until July 2022, approximately 8,000 samples from 720 patients have been collected in the biobank. In summary, the samples in the biobank are classified into three categories: leukemia (40.7%), solid tumors (39.44%), and central nervous system tumors (15.56%). The unique activities of the biobank include the collection of various biological samples from patients and their parents, inter-university cooperation, the use of a vacuum system to preserve tissue, the launching of an online database for recording patients' medical data, and the setting up of a bilingual website for announcements at the national and international levels. Conclusion: Iranian Childhood Cancer Biobank (ICCBB) is the first pediatric biobank center in Iran that collects various samples and associated clinical data from patients with a wide range of childhood cancers. The ICCBB aims to advance clinical research in the field of pediatric cancer by providing both the required quantity and quality of biological samples.