Colorectal epithelium was the first long-term 3D organoid culture established in vitro. Identification of the key components essential for the long-term survival of the stem cell niche allowed an indefinite propagation of these cultures and the modulation of their differentiation into various lineages of mature intestinal epithelial cells. While these methods were eventually adapted to establish organoids from different organs, colorectal organoids remain a pioneering model for the development of new applications in health and disease. Several basic and applicative aspects of organoid culture, modeling, monitoring and testing are analyzed in this review. We also tackle the ethical problems of biobanking and distribution of these precious research tools, frequently confined in the laboratory of origin or condemned to destruction at the end of the project.

Colorectal epithelium was the first long-term 3D organoid culture established in vitro. The identification of the key components essential for the long-term survival of the stem cell niche, allowed an indefinite propagation of these cultures and the modulation of their differentiation into various lineages of mature intestinal epithelial cells. While these methods were eventually adapted to establish organoids from different organs, colorectal organoids remain a pioneering model for the development of new applications in health and disease. Several basic and applicative aspects of organoid culture, modeling, monitoring and testing will be analyzed in this review. We will also tackle the ethical problems of biobanking and distribution of these precious research tools, frequently confined in the laboratory of origin or condemned to destruction at the end of the project.

Glioblastoma is a highly aggressive, infiltrative brain tumor of the central nervous system (CNS). Its extensive molecular and biochemical heterogenicity hinders the identification of reliable biomarkers and therapeutic targets, thereby making prognosis and existing therapy ineffective. In recent years, breakthroughs in the use of proteomics on a range of biological samples, such as plasma, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), tissues, brain cells, and exosomes, represent a potential improvement to GBM investigations. Mass spectrometry-based approaches represent an important technique in the characterization of the tumoral proteome, for the identification of differentially expressed proteins, and for studying altered molecular pathways involved in tumor stages. Proteomics studies advance our knowledge about GBM pathogenesis, the discovery of reliable diagnostic and prognostic markers, and therapeutic approaches, also. In this context, for the effective application of proteomics on GBM, it is mandatory to develop a translational network by integrating hospitals, biobanks, and research institutions into a single network, to enable a collaborative approach across disciplines, thereby enabling rapid translation to clinical application of new proteomic insights. Today, high-quality biobanks play a key role in enabling collaborative, ethically compliant research, supporting the effective application of proteomics in glioblastoma studies and the translation of discoveries into clinical practice. This review explores current trends in proteomics and GBM research, highlighting how leveraging biobank infrastructure and fostering institutional cooperation can drive the development of targeted pilot projects to enhance the impact and effectiveness of glioblastoma research.

Digital dynamic consent is a key element to improve the involvement of participants as proactive partners in research and requires the adoption of standard-based information models to support data reuse. In this work we present the HL7 FHIR Consent Profile we developed to integrate individual consent preferences on biobanked samples and relative information within the infrastructure of the the Biobanking and BioMolecular Resources European Research Infrastructure Consortium (BBMRI-ERIC). The Profile builds on the official HL7 FHIR Consent Resource and adopts the Common Condition of use Elements (CCE) terminology to express the participants’ wills. A preliminary evaluation on a minimally optimized setup suggests that using the Profile’s attributes in queries adds no significant performance overhead. The current version of the Profile is available online, together with a suite of demonstrative tools, and will be implemented for validation in the final prototype of a wider pilot of the Italian Node of BBMRI-ERIC within the Strengthening BBMRI.it Project.