The Florida Pancreas Collaborative Next-Generation Biobank: Infrastructure to Reduce Disparities and Improve Survival for a Diverse Cohort of Patients with Pancreatic Cancer

• Main Authors: Jennifer B. Permuth, Kaleena B. Dezsi, Shraddha Vyas, Karla N. Ali, Toni L. Basinski, Ovie A. Utuama, Jason W. Denbo, Jason Klapman, Aamir Dam, Estrella Carballido, Dae Won Kim, Jose M. Pimiento, Benjamin D. Powers, Amy K. Otto, Jung W. Choi, Dung-Tsa Chen, Jamie K. Teer, Francisca Beato, Alina Ward, Elena M. Cortizas, Suzanne Y. Whisner, Iverson E. Williams, Andrea N. Riner, Kenneth Tardif, Vic Velanovich, Andreas Karachristos, Wade G. Douglas, Adrian Legaspi, Bassan J. Allan, Kenneth Meredith, Manual A. Molina-Vega, Philip Bao, Jamii St. Julien, Kevin L. Huguet, Lee Green, Folakemi T. Odedina, Nagi B. Kumar, Vani N. Simmons, Thomas J. George, Susan T. Vadaparampil, Pamela J. Hodul, J. Pablo Arnoletti, Ziad T. Awad, Debashish Bose, Kun Jiang, Barbara A. Centeno, Clement K. Gwede, Mokenge Malafa, Sarah M. Judge, Andrew R. Judge, Daniel Jeong, Mark Bloomston, Nipun B. Merchant, Jason B. Fleming, Jose G. Trevino, on behalf of the Florida Pancreas Collaborative
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-02-01
• Series: Cancers
• Subjects: biorepository; underserved populations; cancer disparities; prospective cohort; pancreatic cancer
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/13/4/809

<i>Background</i>: Well-annotated, high-quality biorepositories provide a valuable platform to support translational research. However, most biorepositories have poor representation of minority groups, limiting the ability to address health disparities. <i>Methods</i>: We describe the establishment of the Florida Pancreas Collaborative (FPC), the first state-wide prospective cohort study and biorepository designed to address the higher burden of pancreatic cancer (PaCa) in African Americans (AA) compared to Non-Hispanic Whites (NHW) and Hispanic/Latinx (H/L). We provide an overview of stakeholders; study eligibility and design; recruitment strategies; standard operating procedures to collect, process, store, and transfer biospecimens, medical images, and data; our cloud-based data management platform; and progress regarding recruitment and biobanking. <i>Results</i>: The FPC consists of multidisciplinary teams from fifteen Florida medical institutions. From March 2019 through August 2020, 350 patients were assessed for eligibility, 323 met inclusion/exclusion criteria, and 305 (94%) enrolled, including 228 NHW, 30 AA, and 47 H/L, with 94%, 100%, and 94% participation rates, respectively. A high percentage of participants have donated blood (87%), pancreatic tumor tissue (41%), computed tomography scans (76%), and questionnaires (62%). <i>Conclusions</i>: This biorepository addresses a critical gap in PaCa research and has potential to advance translational studies intended to minimize disparities and reduce PaCa-related morbidity and mortality.