India’s first bio-bank for heart failure research inaugurated at Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and technology

Source: PIB

What is the News?

The first National Heart Failure Biobank (NHFB) in India was inaugurated at the Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST).

About Biobank:

• A biobank is a collection of biological samples (such as blood) and health information.
• It can be used to understand molecular pathways and to improve the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of diseases.

About National Heart Failure Biobank (NHFB):

• National Heart Failure Biobank(NHFB) is the first heart failure Biobank in the country that would collect blood, biopsies, and clinical data as a guide for future diagnosis and treatment of Heart Failure Patients.
• The biosamples collected by the biobank will include the blood, serum, tissue samples obtained during open-heart surgery and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and genomic DNA collected from heart failure patients.
• The samples will be collected after informed consent from patients who are willing to donate specimens.
• Moreover, the biobank activity will be supervised by a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) with a member from the Indian Council of Medical Research(ICMR).

What was the need for National Heart Failure Biobank (NHFB)?

• Heart failure (HF) is emerging as a major health problem in India, with a reported mortality of nearly 60% at five years, which is higher than many common cancers.
  • Hence, there was a need for more research in the field of Heart Failure(HF) and it was in this background that the heart failure biobank was inaugurated.
• This Biobank will help in providing insights into heart diseases and heart failure among Indian children and adults, which are very different from that seen in the West.
• The facility will also be useful for the research and treatment of post-covid heart failure.