Laboratories
The following laboratories determine HIV-1 viral load, measure CD3/CD4/CD8 and prepare samples for the repositorium.
SHCS participating laboratories :
Bern : Institut für Infektionskrankheiten der Universität Bern
Genève : Laboratoire central de virologie HUG
Lausanne : Laboratoire d'immunologie et allergie du CHUV
St Gallen : Institut für Medizinische Mikrobiologie u. Immunologie
Ticino : Instituto Cantonale di Microbiologia
Zürich : Klinik für Immunologie Universitätsspital Zürich
Institut für medizinische Virologie Universität Zürich
Zürich : Swiss National Center for Retroviruses
Subcontracting laboratories :
Aarau : Kantonsspital, Zentrum für Labormedizin
Genève : Unilabs bioanalytique-Riotton
Lausanne : Laboratoire de la clinique de la Source
HIV-1 viral load
The laboratories have to use a PCR based method that has a lower quantification limit of 50 copies/ml at most.
External Quality control
All laboratories involved in the SHCS have to be accredited.
Repositorium
- Viable peripheral blood mononuclear cells (once in a calendar year) : three aliquots of at least 1,5 Mio cells are stored in liquid nitrogen or in -150°C freezers
- Plasma : 5 aliquots of 1ml plasma retrieved at each cohort visit and stored at –75°C
- Purified DNA : a central repositorium of DNA has been established in 2002 in Lausanne in the context of the Core Genetic project. Samples of purified DNA from patients who gave informed consent for Genetic analyses are aliquoted and stored.
Retrieval of blood samples
Individual samples needed for patient care can be used without permission from the scientific board. The retrieval of these samples nevertheless has to be announced to the data centre.
- Samples can be used for research if the corresponding study protocol has been accepted by the scientific board.
- The sample request has to be made by the data centre.
- The laboratories are paid for sample retrieval :
- For a request of 1 to 6 samples, a flat sum of CHF 50.- will be billed.
- If 7 or more samples are requested, independently of the number of aliquots, the laboratory will bill CHF 8.- per sample.
- The costs for packaging (dry ice, boxes) and shipment will be added
As of September 2011, the SHCS repositorium contains 93'000 samples of viable cells and 158'000 samples of plasma, and more than 1000 DNA samples.