MYOBLASTS FROM PATIENTS WITH NEUROMUSCULAR DISEASES

We keep a bank of muscle cells derived from culturing muscle biopsy specimens obtained from patients with neuromuscular diseases. Cells are stored in liquid nitrogen. We have received Telethon support in the past years and thanks to that we have further enlarged our capacity to establish and store new muscle cell lines and muscle specimens obtained mostly as result of our normal clinical and diagnostic activity. Actually we have increased the cell collection to more than 280 cell lines and the tissue collection to more than 4000 specimens from about 2000 patients. To ensure that the material is not completely lost in case of storage failure, the cells are now subdivided in two separate containers. We have also performed studies to optimise growth conditions for muscle cell lines. We will continue our activity in order to increase the number of muscle cell lines from patients. We think this is important because, as new genetic tests on blood samples will become available, muscle biopsies will be less, and therefore, existing banks of muscle cell cultures will represent an important and, perhaps, the only source of material for studies in the field muscle diseases. We have recently opened a web site of the Laboratory (http://www.besta-miopatologia.it) with a web page dedicated to the Telethon bank. Furthermore, our laboratory has become member of a European network that has as main objective to promote links between European Biological Resource Centres in the field of rare diseases. This will improve exchange of material in the European scientific community. Patients with rare diseases do not benefit from accurate medical resources as people affected by more common pathologies; therefore, it is important to make information and material available to the greatest number of scientists. We feel that both web site and European network will increase the awareness of the existence of the bank facility among researchers and physicians.