Biobanking in the COVID-19 Era and Beyond: Part 1. How Early Experiences Can Translate into Actionable Wisdom.

The era of COVID-19 has brought about a number of novel challenges for the global biobanking community. To better position the biobanking community to cope with current and future challenges, the International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories (ISBER) COVID-19 Response Task Force was convened to identify needs and gaps in biobanking tools (existing resources that support good practice), for example, standards, best practices, business, etc. and to make recommendations to benefit the community.

Spiking and homogenization of biological matrices for production of reference materials using cryogenic processes.

Biological reference materials (RMs) are essential for quality assurance, traceability of measurement results and for method validation. When addressing new measurement questions or emerging regulatory issues, rigorous large-scale CRM production may not be time efficient or economically practical using current production methods. By amending a relatively small matrix batch with a compound(s) of interest at the homogenization step, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) can create a custom material on an "as-needed" basis and circumvent the time delay inherent in large-batch production, thereby generating a fit-for-purpose, rapid-response RM.

Feasibility of using the National Marine Mammal Tissue Bank for retrospective exploratory studies of perfluorinated alkyl acids.

Perfluorinated alkyl acids (PFAAs) have been used for 50+ years in materials such as stain-resistant treatments for paper and clothing, lubricants, and foam fire extinguishers. PFAAs are characterized by a fully fluorinated alkyl chain with a terminal acid group. Their long half-lives and ubiquitous environmental distribution create considerable concern for wildlife and human exposure.

Organohalogen Contaminants and Vitamins in Northern Fur Seals (Callorhinus ursinus) Collected During Subsistence Hunts in Alaska.

During native subsistence hunts from 1987 to 2007, blubber and liver samples from 50 subadult male northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus) were collected on St. Paul Island, Alaska. Samples were analyzed for legacy persistent organic pollutants (POPs), recently phased-out/current-use POPs, and vitamins.

Long-term stability and temporal trends of organic contaminants in four collections of mussel tissue frozen standard reference materials.

The stability of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and chlorinated pesticides in frozen mussel tissue Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) stored at -80 °C was assessed by analyzing samples of SRM 1974, SRM 1974a, and SRM 1974b Organics in Mussel Tissue (Mytilus edulis) periodically over 25 y, 20 y, and 12 y, respectively. The most recent analyses were performed during the certification of the fourth release of this material, SRM 1974c. Results indicate the concentrations of these persistent organic pollutants have not changed during storage at -80 °C.

The International Environmental Specimen Banks--let's get visible.

Environmental specimen banks (ESBs) are facilities that archive samples from the environment for future research and monitoring purposes. In addition, the long-term preservation of representative specimens is an important complement to environmental research and monitoring. Today, environmental specimen banking is experiencing a renaissance due to an increase in regulatory interest in ESB biota standards and trend data.

Environmental specimen banks as a resource for mercury and mercury isotope research in marine ecosystems.

Environmental specimen banks (ESBs) have been a fundamental tool for many nations to monitor contaminant temporal and spatial trends, study fate and transport, and assess the severity and risks of pollution. The specimens archived in ESBs are among the longest time-series, most geographically robust, and highest integrity samples available for performing environmental research. Mercury (Hg) remains one of the world's most ubiquitous environmental contaminants, and ESBs have played a prominent role in Hg research.

Spatial and temporal trends of persistent organic pollutants and mercury in beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) from Alaska.

Remote locations, such as the Arctic, are often sinks for persistent contaminants which can ultimately bioaccumulate in local wildlife. Assessing temporal contaminant trends in the Arctic is important in understanding whether restrictions on legacy persistent organic pollutants (POPs) have led to concentration declines. Beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas) tissue samples were collected from two subpopulations (Cook Inlet, Alaska and the eastern Chukchi Sea) between 1989 and 2006.

Breakfast cereal sampling study for nutritional elements.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has established a Dietary Supplement Laboratory Quality Assurance Program (DSQAP) in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements (NIH-ODS). The DSQAP invites laboratories twice annually to participate in interlaboratory studies where participants elect to measure concentrations of nutritional and/or toxic elements as well as active and/or marker compounds. One of these studies was designed to determine the effects of material granularity and sample processing techniques on measurement variability (precision) as well as to provide participating laboratories information on their performance relative to the NIST assigned values (bias) and to the other participants (concordance).

Regional, temporal, and species patterns of mercury in Alaskan seabird eggs: mercury sources and cycling or food web effects?

Mercury concentration ([Hg]), δ(15)N, and δ(13)C values were measured in eggs from common murres (Uria aalge), thick-billed murres (U. lomvia), glaucous gulls (Larus hyperboreus), and glaucous-winged gulls (L. glaucescens) collected in Alaska from 1999 to 2005.

Mercury stable isotopes in seabird eggs reflect a gradient from terrestrial geogenic to oceanic mercury reservoirs.

Elevated mercury concentrations ([Hg]) were found in Alaskan murre (Uria spp.) eggs from the coastal embayment of Norton Sound relative to insular colonies in the northern Bering Sea-Bering Strait region. Stable isotopes of Hg, carbon, and nitrogen were measured in the eggs to investigate the source of this enrichment.

Geographic differences in organic contaminants and stable isotopes (δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N) in thick-billed murre (Uria lomvia) eggs from Alaska.

The contents from thick-billed murre (Uria lomvia) eggs collected at four Alaskan colonies in 2002 were analyzed for organic contaminants and carbon δ¹³C) and nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) stable isotopes. Contaminant concentrations in the eggs varied from below detection limits to 230 ng g⁻¹ wet mass for 4,4'-DDE in one egg from St Lazaria Island in the Gulf of Alaska. Eggs from this colony generally contained higher levels of contaminants and exhibited significantly different patterns compared to eggs from the Bering and Chukchi seas.

Marine mammal blubber reference and control materials for use in the determination of halogenated organic compounds and fatty acids.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has a diverse collection of control materials derived from marine mammal blubber, fat, and serum. Standard Reference Material (SRM) 1945 Organics in Whale Blubber was recertified for polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners, organochlorine pesticides, and polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) congeners. SRM 1945 has also been assigned mass fraction values for compounds not frequently determined in marine samples including toxaphene congeners, coplanar PCBs, and methoxylated PBDE congeners which are natural products.

Monitoring organic contaminants in eggs of glaucous and glaucous-winged gulls (Larus hyperboreus and Larus glaucescens) from Alaska.

Gull eggs have been used to monitor contaminants in many parts of the world. The Seabird Tissue Archival and Monitoring Project (STAMP) is a long-term program designed to track trends in pollutants in northern marine environments using seabird eggs. Glaucous and glaucous-winged gull (Larus hyperboreus and Larus glaucescens) eggs collected in 2005 from seven Alaskan colonies were analyzed for organic contaminants.

Hexabromocyclododecane in white-sided dolphins: temporal trend and stereoisomer distribution in tissues.

Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) is a brominated flame retardant used primarily in expanded polystyrene foams and other styrene resins. Samples of blubber (n = 57) and liver (n = 16) from Atlantic white-sided dolphins, Lagenorhynchus acutus, that stranded on the eastern coast of United States between 1993 and 2004 were obtained from the National Marine Mammal Tissue Bank (NMMTB). Blubber samples from most of these animals (n = 47) were previously analyzed for polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), and several toxaphene congeners.

Development and application of an ultratrace method for speciation of organotin compounds in cryogenically archived and homogenized biological materials.

An accurate, ultra-sensitive and robust method for speciation of mono, di, and tributyltin (MBT, DBT, and TBT) by speciated isotope-dilution gas chromatography-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (SID-GC-ICPMS) has been developed for quantification of butyltin concentrations in cryogenic biological materials maintained in an uninterrupted cryo-chain from storage conditions through homogenization and bottling. The method significantly reduces the detection limits, to the low pg g(-1) level (as Sn), and was validated by using the European reference material (ERM) CE477, mussel tissue, produced by the Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements. It was applied to three different cryogenic biological materials-a fresh-frozen mussel tissue (SRM 1974b) together with complex materials, a protein-rich material (whale liver control material, QC03LH03), and a lipid-rich material (whale blubber, SRM 1945) containing up to 72% lipids.

Certification of methylmercury content in two fresh-frozen reference materials: SRM 1947 Lake Michigan fish tissue and SRM 1974b organics in mussel tissue (Mytilus edulis).

This paper describes the development of two independent analytical methods for the extraction and quantification of methylmercury from marine biota. The procedures involve microwave extraction, followed by derivatization and either headspace solid-phase microextraction (SPME) with a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-coated silica fiber or back-extraction into iso-octane. The identification and quantification of the extracted compounds is carried out by capillary gas chromatography/mass spectrometric (GC/MS) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometric (GC/ICP-MS) detection.

Development of a murre (Uria spp.) egg control material.

The Seabird Tissue Archival and Monitoring Project (STAMP) is a collaborative Alaska-wide effort by the US Fish and Wildlife Service's Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge (USFWS/AMNWR), the US Geological Survey's Biological Resources Division (USGS/BRD), the Bureau of Indian Affairs Alaska Region Subsistence Branch (BIA/ARSB), and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to monitor long-term (decadal) trends in environmental contaminants using seabird eggs. To support this effort, a matrix- (seabird egg) and concentration-specific control material was needed to ensure quality during analytical work. Although a herring gull egg quality assurance (HGQA) material is available from Environment Canada (EC), contaminant concentrations in this material tended to be higher than those observed in Alaskan murre (Uria spp.

Murre eggs (Uria aalge and Uria lomvia) as indicators of mercury contamination in the Alaskan marine environment.

Sixty common murre (Uria aalge) and 27 thick-billed murre (Uria lomvia) eggs collected by the Seabird Tissue Archival and Monitoring Project (STAMP) in 1999-2001 from two Gulf of Alaska and three Bering Sea nesting colonies were analyzed for total mercury (Hg) using isotope dilution cold vapor inductively coupled mass spectrometry. Hg concentrations (wet mass) ranged from 0.011 microg/g to 0.

Factors influencing persistent organic pollutant concentrations in the Atlantic white-sided dolphin (Lagenorhynchus acutus).

Assessing the trends of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in cetaceans is difficult because of age and gender influences on accumulation. Persistent organic pollutants bioaccumulate and are poorly metabolized; hence, concentrations may increase with age in males while females reduce their POP burden through parturition and lactation. Age and gender effects on contaminant concentrations are species specific because of life history and reproductive strategies.

Persistent organic pollutants in Alaskan murre (Uria spp.) eggs: geographical, species, and temporal comparisons.

Concentrations of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in eggs of common and thick-billed murres (Uria aalge and U. lomvia) from five Alaskan nesting colonies were dominated by 4,4'-DDE, total polychlorinated biphenyls (totalPCBs; 46 congeners comprised mainly of PCB congeners 153, 118, 138, 99, and 151), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), beta-hexachlorocyclohexane (beta-HCH), and chlordane compounds (totalCHL). Concentrations of 4,4'-DDE, cis-nonachlor, and heptachlor epoxide were lower than those reported for some of the same colonies in the 1970s, while HCB concentrations were similar.