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LATAM Biorepository Inauguration

Group of nineteen people, made up of researchers from the LATAM Biorepository and guests, poses in front of the LATAM Biorepository.
Team of LATAM Biorepository researchers and guests during the visit to the biobank. Img: FMUSP Communication Office

On June 26, the LATAM Biorepository was inaugurated. This new biobank is for storing samples donated by patients who have HIV and cancer simultaneously, allowing research to enhance the understanding of cancers affecting people living with HIV.

The LATAM Biorepository is linked to the AIDS and Cancer Specimen Resource (ACSR) and is based at Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo (FMUSP). It becomes part of the sub-collection of the USP Biobank of the Academic Cancer Research Network and acts as a Regional Biospecimen Repository (RBR).

The launch event was held in partnership between Universidade de São Paulo (USP), the Cancer Institute of the State of São Paulo (ICESP), and the AIDS and Cancer Specimen Resource (ACSR), with support from the AIDS Malignancy Consortium (AMC).

In the morning, there was a seminar at the Amphitheater of the Institute of Tropical Medicine, featuring speeches by the USP Rector, Prof. Dr. Carlos Gilberto Carlotti Jr, the Pro-Rector of Undergraduate Studies, Prof. Dr. Aluísio Augusto Cotrim Segurado, the Vice-Director of Faculdade de Medicina, Prof. Dr. Paulo Manuel Pêgo Fernandes, and the Coordinator of C2PO and Translational Oncology Center (CTO) at ICESP, Prof. Dr. Roger Chammas.

Professors speaking during the opening of the event. From left to right: Prof. Dr. Roger Chammas, Prof. Dr. Jeffrey Bethony, Prof. Dr. Carlos Carlotti Jr., Prof. Dr. Paulo Manuel Pêgo Fernandes, and Prof. Dr. Aluísio Segurado. Img: FMUSP Communication Office

 

The public at the Seminar. Img: FMUSP Communication Office

 

Following the opening, Prof. Dr. Jeffrey Bethony from George Washington University, representing ACSR and AMC, gave a presentation about ACSR, elucidating aspects such as the mission and vision of the organization, as well as providing an overview of the ACSR structure and the importance of creating the LATAM Biorepository. The talk was complemented by Prof. Dr. Aluísio Segurado, who discussed HIV-related malignancies in the context of Latin America.

Next, there was a series of talks about the activities of the new laboratory. Dr. Karim Ibrahim from ICESP spoke about the recruitment of potential participants for the Biobank and research project – the participants consent to the use of the samples in various research studies. Prof. Dr. Evandro Sobroza de Mello and Dr. Miyuki Uno spoke about sample processing and storage, and Prof. Dr. Aluísio Segurado talked about the current inventory of the LATAM Biorepository. Following this, Prof. Dr. Sara Gianella Weibel from the University of California San Diego (UCSD) presented the Last Gift Program, which encourages HIV patients to consent to the use of their samples so that researchers can study and generate medical advancements for the treatment of future generations of patients.

In the afternoon, Prof. Dr. Jeffrey Bethony returned to discuss the AMC Program, with remote participation by Dr. Valeria Fink from Fundación Huésped, who spoke about clinical research projects designed for the biobank.

Besides the seminar, selected guests were taken on a tour of ICESP, where they visited the hospital’s integrated research laboratories: the Pathology Laboratory coordinated by Prof. Dr. Evandro Sobroza de Mello, and the Clinical Research Center coordinated by Dr. Camila Motta Venchiarutti Moniz.

Finally, there was a symbolic inauguration with the ribbon-cutting and a tour of the new facilities. Dr. Miyuki Uno, the Lead Researcher coordinating the new biobank’s activities, presented the facilities to the guests and spoke about the importance of this new laboratory: “The LATAM Biorepository will be a valuable resource for researchers studying HIV-related tumors. By providing access to high-quality biological samples and associated information from participants with cancer and HIV, this biobank will help the scientific community from institutions in Brazil and abroad to conduct more comprehensive and precise studies in basic and translational areas. These studies could lead to a better understanding of the mechanisms of HIV-related tumors, the search for new disease monitoring biomarkers, the development of new treatment strategies, and thereby better outcomes for patients.”

 

Prof Dr. Aluísio Segurado and Prof. Dr. Jeffrey Bethony ribbon-cutting at the inauguration of the LATAM Biorepository. Img: FMUSP Communication Office

 

Team of LATAM Biorepository researchers and guests during the visit to the biobank. Img: FMUSP Communication Office

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