Following a research paper on RNA preservation in tissue samples published last year in Biopreservation and Biobanking, the official journal of the International Association of Biological and Environmental Sample Banks (ISBER), in June this year, Once again, the biobank team at our hospital published a research paper on RNA preservation in Blood Samples in the journal, entitled "Effects of Freezing and Rewarming Methods on RNA Quality of Blood Samples." This study analyzed the effects of sample pretreatment, freezing procedures and rewarming methods on the RNA quality of blood samples, and explored a more suitable storage method for blood samples in order to obtain high-quality RNA, so as to provide guarantee for the reliability of subsequent research and analysis.
Blood is one of the most common sample types in biological sample banks. RNA extracted from blood can be used for a wide range of scientific research and clinical trials, such as real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, transcriptome sequencing, and gene array analysis. However, RNA is easily degraded during the transportation, storage, and extraction process of blood samples, so it is crucial to better preserve blood samples and extract high-quality RNA.
The biobank team first divided the rabbit blood samples into two groups: whole blood (WB) and blood cell components (BCC), and used four representative cryopreservation methods to cool and freeze the two groups of samples. Then, the frozen samples were reheated using two rewarming methods (4 ℃ and vortex), and the RNA Integrity Number (RIN) was measured using an Agilent Bioanalyzer to evaluate the RNA integrity of each group of samples. Finally, the best method was validated using human blood samples.
Research has found that there is no significant difference in the integrity of RNA in blood samples for these four different freezing procedures, but blood composition and rewarming methods can affect the RNA quality of blood samples. Among them, for frozen whole blood samples, vortex rewarming is the best method to obtain high-quality RNA; For sample preservation points with sample preprocessing conditions, plasma can be removed by centrifugation and blood samples can be frozen in the form of blood cells to obtain purer and more stable RNA.
In recent years, the field of biobanks and sample science has developed rapidly, and many journals have included relevant research papers. Bioreserve and Biobanking is the first peer-reviewed journal to comprehensively cover the collection, processing, preservation, distribution, and use of biological samples. This journal has published a series of original articles, focusing on the challenges and issues in current biological sample preservation, as well as the research progress related to the preservation of biomolecules, cells, and tissues, which has always been the focus of sample library professionals.