OASI Biobank: Advancing Asplenia Research through Integrated Bioinformatics and Collaborative Infrastructure

The OASI project stems from the collaboration of the Institute of Genetics and Biophysics (IGB) and the Institute of Computing and High-Performance Networks (ICAR) of the National Research Council (CNR) in Naples with the University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli," which coordinates the Italian Network of Asplenia (INA). Asplenia refers to the condition resulting from either the surgical removal or an intrinsic dysfunction of the spleen. This condition is associated with various hematologic, oncologic, immunologic, and congenital diseases. Significant complications, such as severe infections and a prothrombotic state caused by coagulation and vascular imbalances, can arise from asplenia, posing life-threatening risks and substantial impacts on long-term disability, public health, and biological costs. Due to the diverse underlying diseases, a comprehensive and systematic approach to asplenia is lacking. Available data are often limited to narrow cohorts of patients with specific diseases, making it difficult to derive reliable information and establish objective clinical guidelines for managing asplenia. The primary objective of the OASI project is to create a Research Biobank for Asplenia, housed at the IGB, that operates on a national scale in the context of the CNR’s Biological Resources Center. This biobank seeks to provide comprehensive and standardized data on asplenia. The OASI Research Biobank will systematically collect, process, and store biological samples from asplenic patients (and healthy volunteers), triangulated with detailed clinical records of the donors available through the INA Clinical Database. By integrating analytical information, including genomic and biochemical data, with clinical data, the OASI Biobank will serve as a research infrastructure and resource hub. These resources will be made accessible under international research standards to facilitate multidisciplinary, multicenter, large-scale observational studies aimed to fill critical gaps in asplenia biomedical research. Furthermore, OASI will promote bioinformatics innovation by leveraging computational biology to provide insights into asplenia, laying the groundwork for future support for the development of therapeutic interventions and clinical decision-making guidelines.