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Rebecca O Barnes

Bio: Rebecca O Barnes is an academic researcher from Vancouver Island Health Authority. The author has contributed to research in topics: Biobank & Certification. The author has an hindex of 8, co-authored 12 publications receiving 1532 citations.

Papers
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Overabundance of Fusobacterium sequences in tumor versus matched normal control tissue is verified by quantitative PCR analysis from a total of 99 subjects, and a positive association with lymph node metastasis is observed.
Abstract: An estimated 15% or more of the cancer burden worldwide is attributable to known infectious agents. We screened colorectal carcinoma and matched normal tissue specimens using RNA-seq followed by host sequence subtraction and found marked over-representation of Fusobacterium nucleatum sequences in tumors relative to control specimens. F. nucleatum is an invasive anaerobe that has been linked previously to periodontitis and appendicitis, but not to cancer. Fusobacteria are rare constituents of the fecal microbiota, but have been cultured previously from biopsies of inflamed gut mucosa. We obtained a Fusobacterium isolate from a frozen tumor specimen; this showed highest sequence similarity to a known gut mucosa isolate and was confirmed to be invasive. We verified overabundance of Fusobacterium sequences in tumor versus matched normal control tissue by quantitative PCR analysis from a total of 99 subjects (p = 2.5 × 10(-6)), and we observed a positive association with lymph node metastasis.

1,535 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is proposed that biobank sustainability should be considered within a framework of three dimensions - financial, operational, and social - which may allow different types of biobanks to distinguish and evaluate the relevance, likelihood, and impact of each element, as well as the risks to the biobanking of failure to address them.
Abstract: Each year funding agencies and academic institutions spend millions of dollars and euros on biobanking. All funding providers assume that after initial investments biobanks should be able to operate sustainably. However the topic of sustainability is challenging for the discipline of biobanking for several major reasons: the diversity in the biobanking landscape, the different purposes of biobanks, the fact that biobanks are dissimilar to other research infrastructures and the absence of universally understood or applicable value metrics for funders and other stakeholders. In this article our aim is to delineate a framework to allow more effective discussion and action around approaches for improving biobank sustainability. The term sustainability is often used to mean fiscally self-sustaining, but this restricted definition is not sufficient for biobanking. Instead we propose that biobank sustainability should be considered within a framework of three dimensions – financial, operational, and social. In each dimension, areas of focus or elements are identified that may allow different types of biobanks to distinguish and evaluate the relevance, likelihood, and impact of each element, as well as the risks to the biobank of failure to address them. Examples of practical solutions, tools and strategies to address biobank sustainability are also discussed.

108 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This work proposes here a new classification schema achieved using a conceptual classification approach based on 4 functional biobank "elements" (donor/participant, design, biospecimens, and brand), which it feels are most important to the major stakeholder groups.
Abstract: Human research biobanks have rapidly expanded in the past 20 years, in terms of both their complexity and utility. To date there exists no agreement upon classification schema for these biobanks. This is an important issue to address for several reasons: to ensure that the diversity of biobanks is appreciated, to assist researchers in understanding what type of biobank they need access to, and to help institutions/funding bodies appreciate the varying level of support required for different types of biobanks. To capture the degree of complexity, specialization, and diversity that exists among human research biobanks, we propose here a new classification schema achieved using a conceptual classification approach. This schema is based on 4 functional biobank “elements” (donor/participant, design, biospecimens, and brand), which we feel are most important to the major stakeholder groups (public/participants, members of the biobank community, health care professionals/researcher users, sponsors/funders, and o...

60 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The overall demand for biospecimen usage in cancer research has increased significantly over the past 20 years and it is predicted that average cohort sizes will increase by at least twofold for frozen and FFPE biospecimens over the next ten years.
Abstract: Demand for biospecimens in cancer research has increased but there are relatively few data on the trends in biospecimen usage. These data are needed to enable projection of future demand. We analyz...

53 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This program will provide an easily adoptable and flexible mechanism to communicate common standards through education and address both quality assurance and governance across the broad spectrum of biobanks.
Abstract: Two core aspects of the discipline of biobanking are biospecimen quality and good governance. Meeting the demands of both sample quality and governance can be challenging, especially in a resource limited environment. Frequently, differences between biobank processes reduce the ability for cooperative action and specimen sharing with researchers. In the Canadian context, we have made an attempt to identify these gaps and have provided a framework to support excellence, initially for tumor biobanks. The Canadian Tumour Repository Network (CTRNet) was established with funding from the Canadian Institute of Health Sciences (CIHR) Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) to foster translational research through improved access to high quality tumour biospecimens. Consistent with this mandate, CTRNet has focused on the establishment and deployment of common standards to harmonize biospecimen quality and approaches to governance. More recently, CTRNet has implemented a certification program to communicate these stand...

47 citations


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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The large-scale dynamics of the microbiome can be described by many of the tools and observations used in the study of population ecology, andiphering the metagenome and its aggregate genetic information can also be used to understand the functional properties of the microbial community.
Abstract: Interest in the role of the microbiome in human health has burgeoned over the past decade with the advent of new technologies for interrogating complex microbial communities. The large-scale dynamics of the microbiome can be described by many of the tools and observations used in the study of population ecology. Deciphering the metagenome and its aggregate genetic information can also be used to understand the functional properties of the microbial community. Both the microbiome and metagenome probably have important functions in health and disease; their exploration is a frontier in human genetics.

2,650 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The microbiome of ileal Crohn's disease was notable for increases in virulence and secretion pathways, and the first insights into community-wide microbial processes and pathways that underpin IBD pathogenesis are provided.
Abstract: Background: The inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis result from alterations in intestinal microbes and the immune system. However, the precise dysfunctions of microbial metabolism in the gastrointestinal microbiome during IBD remain unclear. We analyzed the microbiota of intestinal biopsies and stool samples from 231 IBD and healthy subjects by 16S gene pyrosequencing and followed up a subset using shotgun metagenomics. Gene and pathway composition were assessed, based on 16S data from phylogenetically-related reference genomes, and associated using sparse multivariate linear modeling with medications, environmental factors, and IBD status. Results: Firmicutes and Enterobacteriaceae abundances were associated with disease status as expected, but also with treatment and subject characteristics. Microbial function, though, was more consistently perturbed than composition, with 12% of analyzed pathways changed compared with 2% of genera. We identified major shifts in oxidative stress pathways, as well as decreased carbohydrate metabolism and amino acid biosynthesis in favor of nutrient transport and uptake. The microbiome of ileal Crohn’s disease was notable for increases in virulence and secretion pathways.

2,189 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Data suggest that, through recruitment of tumor-infiltrating immune cells, fusobacteria generate a proinflammatory microenvironment that is conducive for colorectal neoplasia progression, and this work finds that F.nucleatum does not exacerbate colitis, enteritis, or inflammation-associated intestinal carcinogenesis.

1,704 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The mechanisms of microbial immune subversion that tip the balance from homeostasis to disease in oral or extra-oral sites are discussed.
Abstract: Periodontitis is a dysbiotic inflammatory disease with an adverse impact on systemic health. Recent studies have provided insights into the emergence and persistence of dysbiotic oral microbial communities that can mediate inflammatory pathology at local as well as distant sites. This Review discusses the mechanisms of microbial immune subversion that tip the balance from homeostasis to disease in oral or extra-oral sites.

1,621 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A mechanism by which Fn can drive CRC is unveiled and FadA is identified as a potential diagnostic and therapeutic target for CRC.

1,481 citations