Sarah Gino

Since the biobanks’ inception in 1980, millions of human biological samples have been stored worldwide for medical research or treatment purposes. Today the secondary use of biobanks plays an increasingly important role in research projects because it allows large-scale research starting from professional collections of biospecimens and related clinical data. It would be limiting, in the “-omics” era, to not consider the enormous potential value to law enforcement of these biospecimens, where the availability of high-performance techniques makes it possible to obtain a large amount of data, even within a single session. Therefore, the quality of the sample, in addition to the associated clinical information, becomes of crucial importance to derive scientifically valid information, including for forensic research purposes. Proposing the introduction of the concept of “solidarity”, traditionally applied only to medical and research biobanks, led to public commitment to forensic medicine. Granting the forensic researcher this possibility certainly raises some questions regarding regulatory and ethical aspects of consent, privacy, confidentiality, transparency, and participant/donor trust. Since the debate has not stopped since the origin of biobanks, this review aims to explore the state of the art relating to the use of human biological material in medical biobanks for biomedical and forensic research.

Background: Gelatin–xanthan gum (Gel–Xnt) hydrogel has been previously modified to improve its printability; now, to increase its ability for use as cell-laden 3D scaffolds (bioink), polydopamine (PDA), a biocompatible, antibacterial, adhesive, and antioxidant mussel-inspired biopolymer, has been added (1–3% v/v) to hydrogel. Methods: Control (CT) and PDA-blended hydrogels were used to print 1 cm2 grids. The hydrogels’ printability, moisture, swelling, hydrolysis, and porosity were tested after glutaraldehyde (GTA) crosslinking, while biocompatibility was tested using primary human-derived skin fibroblasts and spontaneously immortalized human keratinocytes (HaCaT). Keratinocyte or fibroblast suspension (100 µL, 2.5 × 105 cells) was combined with an uncrosslinked CT and PDA blended hydrogel to fabricate cylinders (0.5 cm high, 1 cm wide). These cylinders were then cross-linked and incubated for 1, 3, 7, 14, and 21 days. The presence of cells within various hydrogels was assessed using optical microscopy. Results and discussion: PDA blending did not modify the hydrogel printability or physiochemical characteristics, suggesting that PDA did not interfere with GTA crosslinking. On the other hand, PDA presence strongly accelerated and increased both fibroblast and keratinocyte growth inside. This effect seemed to be linked to the adhesive abilities of PDA, which improve cell adhesion and, in turn, proliferation. Conclusions: The simple PDA blending method described could help in obtaining a new bioink for the development of innovative 3D-printed wound dressings.

Incidental findings (IFs) are unexpected disclosures that do not fall within the aim of a test and have a potential impact on an individual’s life. In the forensic field, IFs can be considered information that is not related to the cause of death, the dynamic of the event, or the scope of the investigation. Questions regarding how forensic professionals should consider, address, and report IFs form the focus of our study. This narrative review was performing following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines with the aim of defining and summarizing evidence about IFs, analyzing their ethical and legal management, and emphasizing the importance of adequate informed consent. The current state of the art regarding IFs has revealed the need for guidelines with the purpose of making the best decisions for the parties involved since the circumstances are extremely delicate, and therefore, forensic geneticists require protection and support. For this reason, elaboration of informed consent, which considers the possibility of making accidental discoveries, could operate as an immediate solution to fill the current gaps. However, the development of clear international recommendations is the best solution to such a complex issue.