Biobanking across the phenome - at the center of chronic disease research

Abstract

BackgroundRecognized public health relevant risk factors such as obesity, physical inactivity, smoking or air pollution are common to many non-communicable diseases (NCDs). NCDs cluster and co-morbidities increase in parallel to age. Pleiotropic genes and genetic variants have been identified by genome-wide association studies (GWAS) linking NCD entities hitherto thought to be distant in etiology. These different lines of evidence suggest that NCD disease mechanisms are in part shared.DiscussionIdentification of common exogenous and endogenous risk patterns may promote efficient prevention, an urgent need in the light of the global NCD epidemic. The prerequisite to investigate causal risk patterns including biologic, genetic and environmental factors across different NCDs are well characterized cohorts with associated biobanks. Prospectively collected data and biospecimen from subjects of various age, sociodemographic, and cultural groups, both healthy and affected by one or more NCD, are essential for exploring biologic mechanisms and susceptibilities interlinking different environmental and lifestyle exposures, co-morbidities, as well as cellular senescence and aging. A paradigm shift in the research activities can currently be observed, moving from focused investigations on the effect of a single risk factor on an isolated health outcome to a more comprehensive assessment of risk patterns and a broader phenome approach. Though important methodological and analytical challenges need to be resolved, the ongoing international efforts to establish large-scale population-based biobank cohorts are a critical basis for moving NCD disease etiology forward.SummaryFuture epidemiologic and public health research should aim at sustaining a comprehensive systems view on health and disease. The political and public discussions about the utilitarian aspect of investing in and contributing to cohort and biobank research are essential and are indirectly linked to the achievement of public health programs effectively addressing the global NCD epidemic.

Côte d’Ivoire Dual Burden of Disease (CoDuBu): Study Protocol to Investigate the Co-occurrence of Chronic Infections and Noncommunicable Diseases in Rural Settings of Epidemiological Transition

“…Swiss TPH has a track record in IDs and NCDs research, which forms the basis for the scientific objectives of this project. Swiss TPH is running the only Swiss-wide chronic disease cohort and biobank (Swiss Cohort Study on Air Pollution and Lung and Heart Diseases in Adults), participates at the forefront of exposome research [ 49 , 71 , 74 ], and its coordinators have vast experience in biobanking (Swiss Biobanking Platform). The Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny is the largest public university in Côte d’Ivoire with several laboratories covering ecology, parasitology, and zoology.…”

Biobank sustainability: current status and future prospects

“…Well-known large studies include the UK Biobank study (500,000 participants), the Kadoorie study of chronic diseases (500,000), EPIC (520,000), LifeGene (500,000), CPTP (300,000), and Constances (200,000). 25 Because biobank-based studies serve to increase the well-being of future generations by facilitating innovation in treatment and prevention, any reduction in the scope, number, size, or duration of such studies that followed from a policy of imposing full cost recovery would have negative social and economic impacts.…”

Beyond leukaemia and nuclear power: Swiss health sciences need a mega-cohort

“…Interestingly, despite several decades of research, the aetiology of childhood leukaemia remains in general rather unclear and the short list of established causes may explain only some 10% of all cases [3]. Inconsistent findings may not only indicate that the relative risks are most likely not very large across the range of exposure, but also point toward complex aetiological pathways and interactions among a range of factors and mechanisms -a phenomenon very well known in chronic disease epidemiology [4]. To detect relatively small effects at low levels and across small differences in exposure, and to separate those effects from the role of other cofactors, is a challenge.…”