Continuous research is crucial to improve our understanding for better management of HPV associated diseases. Avenues of research include mechanistic studies of HPV infection, lifecycle and pathogenesis; innovation in HPV detection technologies; biomarker discovery; development of prophylactic agents and better treatment technologies. A population based sample archive, with well-annotated and quality controlled clinical materials, assists in such research.
The Scottish HPV Archive1, setup in 2009, is a biorepository of cervical samples from women in Scotland. The archive received government core-funding for the first 5 years and then has been sustained via research funding and a revenue model based on sample provision. At the outset, archival and data management procedures along with an integrated inventory system were established. Generic Research Tissue Bank approval was obtained for sample storage and for data linkage to national databases for cervical screening, immunisation, colposcopy and cancer.
As a dynamic archive, the samples constitute residual material from different collections and include samples from women attending routine screening in addition to research collections associated with specific inclusion criteria. Current collection contains over 40,000 samples, which include 34,321 liquid based cytology, 7,913 DNA and 913 self-taken vaginal swabs. Samples are annotated with HPV infection results and genotypes, cytology and histology results and vaccination status. Quality assessment is performed regularly to assess best storage conditions for viable cells, DNA, RNA and protein. Access to samples is obtained through application to the archive steering committee2.
The archive has been associated with much activity and output; to date, 37 applications have been approved for use of samples and/or data with ~14,000 samples provided. The requests are associated with research into HPV epidemiology (4, 10.8%), biomarker development (23, 62.2%), validation and assessment of HPV detection assays (9, 24.3%), and data linkage studies (1, 2.7%). The requests have been both from United Kingdom (31, 83.9%) and international partners (6, 16.2%); and 13 (35.1%) involved commercial collaborations. The archive has contributed to 19 peer reviewed publications, 57 international conference submissions and has been a part of 14 equitable grant awards since its setup.
In the eight years since its establishment, the Scottish HPV Archive has proved to be a valuable resource for researchers. Our aim is to continue to engage with scientific and clinical community to ensure the archive can adapt to reflect and accommodate key and contemporary research priorities.
1 www.shine.mvm.ed.ac.uk/archive
2 hpvarchive@ed.ac.uk