Swiss Center for Musculoskeletal Biobanking, Balgrist Campus AG, 8008 Zürich, Switzerland.
Department of Neuro-Urology, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zürich, 8008 Zürich, Switzerland.
Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Sep 19;24(18):14281. doi: 10.3390/ijms241814281.
Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying neuro-urological disorders is crucial for the development of targeted therapeutic interventions. Through the establishment of comprehensive biobanks, researchers can collect and store various biological specimens, including urine, blood, tissue, and DNA samples, to study these mechanisms. In the context of neuro-urology, biobanking facilitates the identification of genetic variations, epigenetic modifications, and gene expression patterns associated with neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction. These conditions often present as symptoms of neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, spinal cord injury, and many others. Biobanking of tissue specimens from such patients is essential to understand why these diseases cause the respective symptoms and what can be done to alleviate them. The utilization of high-throughput technologies, such as next-generation sequencing and gene expression profiling, enables researchers to explore the molecular landscape of these conditions in an unprecedented manner. The development of specific and reliable biomarkers resulting from these efforts may help in early detection, accurate diagnosis, and effective monitoring of neuro-urological conditions, leading to improved patient care and management. Furthermore, these biomarkers could potentially facilitate the monitoring of novel therapies currently under investigation in neuro-urological clinical trials. This comprehensive review explores the synergistic integration of neuro-urology and biobanking, with particular emphasis on the translation of biobanking approaches in molecular research in neuro-urology. We discuss the advantages of biobanking in neuro-urological studies, the types of specimens collected and their applications in translational research. Furthermore, we highlight the importance of standardization and quality assurance when collecting samples and discuss challenges that may compromise sample quality and impose limitations on their subsequent utilization. Finally, we give recommendations for sampling in multicenter studies, examine sustainability issues associated with biobanking, and provide future directions for this dynamic field.
了解神经泌尿学疾病的分子机制对于开发靶向治疗干预措施至关重要。通过建立全面的生物库，研究人员可以收集和存储各种生物标本，包括尿液、血液、组织和 DNA 样本，以研究这些机制。在神经泌尿学方面，生物库有助于识别与神经原性下尿路功能障碍相关的遗传变异、表观遗传修饰和基因表达模式。这些病症通常表现为阿尔茨海默病、多发性硬化症、帕金森病、脊髓损伤等神经系统疾病的症状。对这些患者的组织标本进行生物库存储对于理解为什么这些疾病会导致相应的症状以及可以采取什么措施来缓解这些症状至关重要。利用高通量技术，如下一代测序和基因表达谱分析，可以使研究人员以前所未有的方式探索这些病症的分子特征。这些努力产生的特异性和可靠的生物标志物可能有助于早期检测、准确诊断和有效监测神经泌尿病症，从而改善患者的护理和管理。此外，这些生物标志物还有可能促进对神经泌尿临床研究中正在研究的新型疗法的监测。本综述综合探讨了神经泌尿学和生物库的协同整合，特别强调了生物库方法在神经泌尿学分子研究中的转化。我们讨论了生物库在神经泌尿学研究中的优势、收集的标本类型及其在转化研究中的应用。此外，我们强调了在收集样本时标准化和质量保证的重要性，并讨论了可能影响样本质量并对其后续利用施加限制的挑战。最后，我们针对多中心研究中的采样提出了建议，考察了与生物库相关的可持续性问题，并为这个充满活力的领域提供了未来的发展方向。
