CY-Biobank: The Cyprus biobank and human genome project (CY-Biobank)

The CY-Biobank and human genome project is an example of a project intended to develop research infrastructure. The project set out to establish the first biobank in Cyprus, which would be used for both research and clinical purposes. CY-Biobank offers a different perspective in its emphasis on developing low performing regions, drawing on Cyprus’ relatively recent progress in establishing research infrastructure supported by government funding.

Aims of the project

The CY-Biobank and human genome project was initiated in recognition of the value and opportunity that a biobank would bring to research and clinical care in Cyprus. The intention behind the project was to establish and build a medical research infrastructure that would be relevant for broader societal issues, while enabling development of skills and expertise within Cyprus. The project was led by researchers in Cyprus working alongside Advanced Partners BBMRI-ERIC, a European research infrastructure for biobanking, and the Medical University of Graz, which operates one of the largest and best biobanks in Europe. A third beneficiary, RDT Talos ltd, a small medium enterprise located in Cyprus, was involved to coordinate and promote activities for dissemination and sustainability of the project.

Project achievements

The primary, early outputs from the biobank itself are related to banking activities, including archiving of biological material, accompanied by demographic and clinical data that can be used by researchers in both Cyprus and more broadly. This has already been accessed by researchers in mainland Greece and more broadly in Europe. The biobank continues to collect material for a number of different projects, including disease-focused, such as inherited heart conditions and kidney disorders, rheumatic diseases and psychiatric conditions and looking forward to dementias, diabetes, and autoimmune diseases. The diseases have significant interest for the broader medical community and allows the biobank to serve a wider audience. Given that the institute is still relatively new, some outputs are forthcoming. For example, there are on-going plans to implement an electronic health platform, which will allow patients to interact more directly with the biobank, making use of artificial intelligence, and encouraging Cypriots to participate in research programs.

Dissemination and public engagement have been an important part of setting up the biobank, as support from the public is vital for the success of the endeavour. The biobank is not hosted by the hospital, and therefore requires completely separate engagement to recruit volunteers – this has been achieved through a concerted advertising effort, to raise awareness for the biobank and mechanisms for getting involved. Engaging with the public in the early stages has been beneficial in preparing the ground for the next phases of the project.

A key outcome of the CY-Biobank is to enrol 16,500 donors in the first 7 years, applying a project-focused approach. This will lead to operational sustainability, to provide the foundation for further expansion to the general population.

Another important outcome for the biobank is to have developed contacts and collaborations with international partners, including across the Mediterranean and the Middle East, under the MediEuro Network.[1] This will be strategically important to create links between Mainland and Southern Europe. Part of this process is to engage with pharmaceutical partners.

Project impacts, barriers and enablers

In establishing research infrastructure that aims to have lasting impact in research and clinical care, and also significance to Cypriot society more broadly through the development of skills and expertise within Cyprus, the societal impact of CY-Biobank is poised to be quite significant. Indeed, the Centre of Excellence established over the project already employs 45 people, of which more than 30 are funded using EC money (this includes project managers, quality assurance personnel, IT experts, health and safety, and 6 full time nurses). In regard to longer-term economic and health impacts, certain enablers and barriers are important to consider. Enablers include understanding where the biobank can add value and address existing research gaps (e.g. establishing areas of interest for the biobank) – this will enable the biobank to broaden its reach and amplify its impact, with other countries accessing its resources and skills for their research needs. Barriers include the global COVID-19 pandemic (which slowed certain activities down); and the medical research infrastructure to support the biobank (the Centre of Excellence needed to build a lot of the processes from scratch, developing know-how in European quality biobanking procedures, molecular research, molecular diagnostics, education and training, and innovation).

[1] CYBiobank (ucy.ac.cy)