PD Dr. Alexandra Nieters during the National Biobank Symposium 2018, Copyright: TMF e.V.

In interview: PD Dr. Alexandra Nieters

Since 2018, biologist and epidemiologist Dr. Alexandra Nieters has been the head of FREEZE biobank  the service centre for biobanking at the University Hospital of Freiburg (UKF) and the Medical Faculty of the University of Freiburg. She also works as an epidemiologist at the Institute for Immunodeficiency at the UKF. In 2019, approximately 135,000 biosamples were stored in the FREEZE biobank and its decentralised “hubs”. GBN spoke with Alexandra Nieters about the biobank's first years, her experiences within the German Biobank Alliance and about biobanking in times of Covid-19.

How did you become a “biobanker”?

Nieters: Due to my work on epidemiological studies, I was often concerned with biosamples at the beginning of my professional career. I quickly became aware of the importance of their quality for valid research results. And also how important it is to be able to find them accurately in the depths of the freezers. At that time, I was not yet very familiar with the term biobanking. I became an “official biobanker” through my work at the Centre for Chronic Immunodeficiency at the University Hospital of Freiburg, which laid the foundation for my current position as head of the FREEZE biobank.

How was the FREEZE biobank established?

Nieters: The biobank was established at the end of 2018 on the initiative of the Medical Faculty and the UKF clinic management. We are very fortunate that we can count on broad support here. FREEZE is not a classic centralised biobank. We are currently establishing a central area for liquid samples, otherwise we work with decentralised “hubs”. As a service facility for biobanking, we ensure that the collection and processing of samples is coordinated and harmonised. I already had a great biobank team at the Centre for Chronic Immunodeficiency and was able to recruit some of these employees for the FREEZE biobank. That has created a strong momentum.

What is the status of the biobank one and a half years after its founding?

Nieters: In the initial period we concentrated on the development of a Broad Consent and were able to create this basis for the UKF, which is essential for the development of disease cohorts. Since our biobank works with decentralised hubs, it was particularly important to get to know the different needs and conditions of the clinics. We are still working on this. The connection of the hubs to our biobank information management system is also in full swing. Unfortunately, the difficulty in recruiting IT staff for the public sector is an obstacle here. We very much appreciate the exchange with our colleagues at the CCCF tumour tissue bank at the site, who are experienced in biobanking and from whom we have learned a lot.

What challenges and opportunities have arisen from the corona pandemic for the still young FREEZE biobank?

Nieters: Due to the initially very strict safety regulations for the processing of blood samples of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 in Baden-Württemberg, we were not immediately able to “biobank” ourselves. Nevertheless, thanks to close cooperation in the hospital, we were able to store samples from infected patients at the site and make them available for research relatively quickly. Fortunately, like most other biobanks in Germany, we can now process and store these samples largely under conditions of the more common security level 2. We have used our Broad Consent, which was recently confirmed by the ethics committee, to establish a Covid-19 cohort.

What were particularly pressing questions at the beginning of the pandemic?

Nieters: Most important to us was of course the safety of our employees – the special commitment during this time should not pose a risk of infection for anyone. The regular web conferences with the German Biobank Alliance were an incredible help here. The openness and willingness to cooperate of the community as well as the quick and professional evaluation of the topics by the GBN team made these meetings very valuable. Despite the tense situation, especially in this phase, there was such an eagerness to work and confidence in this exchange. This was a great experience and gives me hope that we are very well prepared for further challenges in our network.

Which Covid-19 research projects are being carried out with the support of FREEZE biobank?

Nieters: For example, we are involved in the Freiburg part of the Covid-19 family cohort of Prof. Philipp Henneke, Dr. Roland Elling and their team. In close cooperation with our partner biobank Hilda at the Children's Hospital in Freiburg, we were able to preserve serum and blood cells of Covid-19 infected patients and their household members for later immunological examinations and further research projects. Within one week we manually processed and froze more than 1,700 PBMC's from adults and children. We were only able to do because we had powerful support: a colleague from the immunology department, PD Dr. Marta Rizzi, spontaneously made half her team available to us. This mammoth task has brought us closer together. In addition, we are also involved in other prospective research projects of our infectiologists and oncologists on Covid-19 – after all, we had many Covid-19 patients here at the UKF.

Has the standing of the FREEZE biobank at the site changed since the beginning of the pandemic?

Nieters: I believe that we have gained more awareness and acceptance at the site as a result of the corona pandemic. The medical staff have experienced how service-oriented we are. We have tried to make almost everything possible – including the processing of samples from early in the morning until after midnight. Despite the serious background, I enjoyed working with my colleagues, biobankers and clinicians. I hope that many will be able to maintain this spirit of cooperation. After all, apart from SARS-CoV-2, there are other “opponents” such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases or psychiatric illnesses, which the scientific community should unite against even more strongly. I am committed to this and grateful to the many patients and donors who support our projects with confidence. Without their biosamples and data, we would not be able to make the progress in any of these areas that we urgently need.

What can the biobanking community learn from the Corona crisis?

Nieters: Networked structures and effective teams that coordinate these networks are essential for a rapid response to such events. Federal structures are unfortunately rather less so – for some issues . As a scientist and human being, I have learned how important it is to be truthful and courageous, especially in these times. I have the greatest respect for to those who hold up the flag of science against hostility and ignorance and also admit when they are wrong. Informing about scientific findings in an understandable way is of central importance here. And this also applies to the field of biobanking.

 

The interview was conducted by Verena Huth.

Questions?

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