Download Inside the world`s largest hereditary cancer biobank

Inside the world’s largest
hereditary cancer biobank
CUSTOMER TESTIMONIAL - THE INTERNATIONAL HEREDITARY CANCER CENTER
TwinGuard ULT Freezers
The International Hereditary Cancer Center (IHCC) in Poland is the world’s largest hereditary cancer
biobank. It comprises of data from more than one million people (patients and their family members) and
DNA samples from 120,000 individuals Professor Jan Lubinski, Head of the IHCC, explains the critical
work of the Center and the role of Panasonic’s TwinGuard ultra low temperature (ULT) freezers with Dual
Cooling technology, in supporting it.
The early detection of cancer and its subsequent prevention are becoming an increasingly important goal in
public healthcare worldwide. Many forms of cancer have genetically inherited origins. Scientists have
discovered a number of genetic mutations that can contribute to an individual’s risk of developing certain
cancers, such as breast, ovarian, colorectal, and prostate cancers, as well as some other, less common
cancer types. Although, people who carry such hereditary mutations do not necessarily get cancer, their risk
of developing the disease at some point during their lifetime is higher than average.
Genetic research can identify individuals with a predisposition to these cancers, enabling preventative
treatment and increased survival rates. In addition, this approach to cancer is also more cost-effective than
later-stage treatment.
World class research
The IHCC is a global leader in the field of
hereditary cancer. Affiliated to the Department of
Genetics and Pathology at the Pomeranian Medical
University in Szczecin, Poland, it was established
almost 25 years ago by Professor Lubinski in the
early days of genetic research into hereditary
cancer. It has evolved into a major specialist centre
of excellence that contributes to advancing global
knowledge on this important area of medicine. Its
significance is in part due to the suitability of
Poland’s demographics as a patient study cohort.
“Cancer-related genetic research seeks to identify patterns that indicate abnormal mutations. In order to
facilitate this, it is important to develop large databases and registries of homogenous populations,” said
Professor Lubinski. “Poland has a very homogenous population - while immigration from the country is
significant, the number of non-native people entering the land is limited. Therefore, it is an excellent place
for the study of genetics within populations.”
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CUSTOMER TESTIMONIAL - THE INTERNATIONAL HEREDITARY CANCER CENTER
TwinGuard ULT Freezers
A pioneer in advanced research into heredity cancer
Professor Lubinski, Head of the IHCC and the Department of Genetics and Pathology at the Pomeranian
Medical University, is the driving force behind the development of the facility. As one of the world’s
leading experts in hereditary cancer, Professor Lubinski, has studied and worked as a geneticist specialized
in oncology in many countries, including Poland, France and the USA. He is a leading figure in both European
Union and global initiatives on hereditary cancer. Over the course of the last 10 years, his studies have led to
publication of more than 300 scientific papers focused on hereditary cancer in leading international medical
journals.
Affiliated to many professional societies worldwide, he has also served as a Board or Council Member of
several of them. He has received many national and international awards for achievements in science,
education and organizational activities. He also regularly presents at specialist meetings and conferences
across the world and is editor for a number of leading global publications on hereditary cancer. As a true
pioneer, Professor Lubinski also founded his own company – Read Gene - in 2005 that is specialized in
developing new diagnostic innovations in cancer-related genetic analysis and oncology tools. He has
co-authored 12 successful international patent applications and 22 successful Polish patent applications for
new tests and techniques in genetic research.
Significant progress
As it has grown, the IHCC has stimulated the development of hereditary cancer research projects within
Poland and internationally. Under the guidance of the IHCC, a network of 22 hereditary cancer centres have
been created across the country, and a Government-supported, national programme of diagnostics and
management in Polish families with genetic predisposition to cancers has been introduced. The IHCC has
organized population screening for hereditary cancers across the entire population of 1.5 million people of
the West-Pomeranian region in Poland with the collaboration of local healthcare providers. This type of
‘entire population screening’ for all types of hereditary cancer is a world-first.
The Center has also stimulated the development of an active international research network. It has
coordinated two cancer registry projects funded by the European Commission and has established a globally
unique registry of cancer family syndromes including:
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Almost 500,000 DNA samples from cancer patients or their relatives.
More than 5,000 diagnosed and registered people carrying the BRCA1 (breast cancer) genetic
mutation– the largest number in the world.
Almost 7,000 cell lines from BRCA1 mutation carriers.
More than 200,000 registered families with other cancer family syndromes or strong aggregation of malig nancies with biological samples available from at least one affected relative.
Family data from 1,258,000 people collected during realisation of the world’s first regional global project for the prevention of inherited cancer.
IHCC research has also led to significant discoveries in the early detection of some of the most common
forms of cancer, such as breast cancer (BRCA1 and BRCA2) and colon cancer (HNPCC), which have been
published internationally.
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CUSTOMER TESTIMONIAL - THE INTERNATIONAL HEREDITARY CANCER CENTER
TwinGuard ULT Freezers
Equipped for large scale specialist research
Panasonic TwinGuard -86ºC ULT Freezers
As a key global resource in the fight against cancer,
guaranteed sample security and optimal efficiency
are the top priorities in ensuring viability of the vast
biobank. The large number of samples involved the
IHCC’s research must be collected carefully and
correctly and preserved under precise conditions
until research is complete.
Ultimate security is critical for extremely valuable samples,
such as those in biobanks, like the IHCC. Freezer failure
requires swift, effective action to transfer precious samples
to a safe, ultra-low temperature environment – often within a
matter of hours, even if a failure occurs at night. Any failure,
therefore, significantly increases the risk of losing a unique,
irreplaceable or potentially life-saving collection of samples.
This could halt promising research, delay medical treatments
or simply cause substantial financial losses, as well as create
an administrative nightmare. Panasonic developed Dual
Cooling technology specifically to greatly reduce this risk.
“With around 200 patient-consults every day, the
IHCC needs the most efficient and reliable techniques
and equipment possible for collection and storage of
an exceptionally large number of samples of
biological materials,” said Professor Lubinski.
Additional funding that was secured from EU
resources nearly a decade ago enabled the IHCC to
extend its activities further. With this opportunity, it
invested in expanding its laboratory facilities
significantly. Professor Lubinski and his team opted
for Panasonic equipment.
“We were looking for the right equipment and
contacted Sanlab, Panasonic’s official distributor in
Poland,” said Professor Lubinski. “Panasonic
Biomedical products offer perfect biosample
storage. We chose Panasonic equipment on the basis
of the outstanding reliability, precision, quality and
efficiency, as well as the excellent value of the
Panasonic TwinGuard -86°C freezers, and we haven’t
been disappointed. We now also have other
equipment from Panasonic, including the -150°C
cryogenic freezers. I have only heard positive
comments from my team on the products.”
The IHCC is now one of Sanlab’s largest customers.
They have continued to invest in new equipment from
Panasonic as the Center has expanded.
Our advanced TwinGuard ULT freezers provide an
unparalleled level of safety and added peace of mind through
the use of two independent refrigeration systems that reliably
maintain an ultra-low temperature environment, even if an
unexpected failure should occur in one cooling circuit.
Panasonic started developing Dual Cooling technology over a
decade ago. The world’s first TwinGuard freezer – Panasonic’s
MDF-U500VX – was launched in 2010 in Europe Following its
success, the larger volume MDF-U700VX VIP TwinGuard -86ºC
Freezer was first introduced in 2011. Since then, customers
with samples that are valuable, irreplaceable, or potentially
life-saving, such as those stored at the IHCC, have benefitted
from the added assurance, capacity and advanced features of
TwinGuard freezers.
Unparalleled performance
Dual Cooling technology differs significantly from conventional
cascade refrigeration technology in fundamental design and
operation. In Dual Cooling Systems, two independent
refrigeration systems provide a reliable -86ºC ultra-low
temperature environment. Should an unexpected failure occur
in one cooling circuit, the other can maintain the freezer in
the -70ºC range until service can be arranged. This level of
ultra-low temperature back-up cannot be achieved by
conventional cascade systems.
The unique functionality of Dual Cooling is achieved through
the use of two, completely independent, auto-cascade
systems– the compressors, evaporators and cooling fans of
the two systems operate separately from each other.
Two efficient evaporator circuits surround the interior chamber
in a strategically-designed arrangement to ensure the highest
levels of temperature uniformity with either one or both of the
refrigeration systems functioning.
Expanding the TwinGuard range
Following the popularity of the advanced Dual Cooling System
and the benefits it offers, this Panasonic designed technology
has now been introduced to two new chest freezers - the
MDF-DC500VX and MDF-DC700VX. These latest additions to
the TwinGuard range offers exceptional temperature stability
and uniformity with some new additional features like a full
colour LCD touch screen and a USB port for data logging.
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CUSTOMER TESTIMONIAL - THE INTERNATIONAL HEREDITARY CANCER CENTER
TwinGuard ULT Freezers
Emerging biotechnology landscape
Panasonic products have quickly established a strong and positive reputation within the growing
biotechnology industry in Poland.
“Poland’s biotechnology industry is thriving with new opportunities as an EU Member
State,” said Jacek Kaczorek, founder and owner of Sanlab, who supply Panasonic
Biomedical products in Poland. “As a result, we see significant expansion and investments
in research facilities, universities and institutes, such as the IHCC, and also in commercial
companies involved in the pharmaceutical and agricultural industries.”
Sanlab has also grown to meet the increasing demand for Panasonic products, since it
was established by Jacek in 2003. It now has a team of 12 highly qualified staff, who offer
sales, logistics and technical services from the company’s Warsaw headquarters.
“Panasonic Biomedical is a very professional company offering high quality products that
can meet the needs of a wide range of customers within Poland’s emerging biotechnology
market,” remarked Jacek. “We have experienced great success with the Panasonic
TwinGuard ULT freezers and have received excellent feedback from our customers on the dual cooling
capabilities and reliability of the product in particular.”
Future expansion plans
The IHCC plans further expansion with new international studies in hereditary cancer scheduled.
“We have very ambitious plans for the future,” said Professor Lubinski. “Global hereditary genetics is a
dynamic and evolving field that we hope to contribute much more to in the coming years. It has been a
pleasure to work with Panasonic Biomedical and Sanlab so far, and we hope this collaboration will serve us
as well, long into the future.”
Find out more about research at the IHCC
Research papers published by Professor Lubinski and his team at the IHCC in the last five years:
1. Cybulski C, et al, Lubiński J, Foulkes WD, Narod SA, Akbari MR. Germline RECQL mutations are associated with breast cancer susceptibility. Nat Genet. 2015 Jun; 47(6): 643-6. (IF – 29,352).
2. Cybulski C, et al, Lubiński J; Polish Hereditary Breast Cancer Consortium. Clinical outcomes in women with breast cancer and a PALB2 mutation: a prospective cohort analysis. Lancet Oncol. 2015 Jun; 16(6):638-44. (IF – 24.690)
3. Huzarski T, et al, Lubinski J, Narod SA. Ten-year survival in patients with BRCA1-negative and BRCA1-positive breast cancer. J Clin Oncol. 2013 Sep 10;31(26):3191 (IF – 18,443).
4. Jaworska K, et al, Lubiński J, et al: A Low Selenium Level Is Associated with Lung and Laryngeal Cancers. Plos One. March 2013 vol. 8 (3) e59051, (IF – 4.537)
5. Lener MR, et al, Lubiński J. Can selenium levels act as a marker of colorectal cancer risk? BMC Cancer. 2013 Apr 29;13:214. (IF – 3,623).
6. Eeles RA, et al, Lubiński J, et al: Identification of 23 new prostate cancer susceptibility loci using the iCOGS custom genotyping array. Nature Genetics. Apr 2013 (4); 385-391 (IF – 33.096)
7. Michailidou K, et al., Lubiński J, et al: Large-scale genotyping identifies 41 new loci associated with breast cancer risk. Nature Genetics. April 2013 volume 45 number 4; 353-361 (IF – 33.096)
8. Pharoah PDP, et al Lubiński J, et al: GWAS meta-analysis and replication identifies three new susceptibility loci for ovarian cancer. Nature Genetics. April 2013 volume 45 number 4; 362-370, (IF – 33.096)
9. Cybulski C, et al, Lubiński J and the Polish Hereditary Prostate Cancer Consortium: An inherited NBN mutation is associated with poor prognosis of prostate cancer. Brit J Cancer. Epub 13 Nov 2012. (IF – 5.042)
10. Lubiński J et al, The risk of breast cancer in women with a BRCA1 mutation from North America and Poland, Int. J. Cancer 2012 Jul 1; 131(1): 229-234. (IF – 5.444)
11. Cybulski C, et al, Lubiński J. Risk of breast cancer in women with a CHEK2 mutation with and without a family history of breast cancer J Clin. Oncol. 2011 Oct 1; 29(28): 3747-52. Epub 2011 Aug 29. (IF – 18.970)
12. Cybulski C, et al, Lubiński J. Risk of breast cancer in women with a CHEK2 mutation with and without a family history of breast cancer. J Clin Oncol. 2011 Oct 1; 4
29(28):3747-52. (IF – 18,443.
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