The Chilean COVID-19 Genomics Network Biorepository: A Resource for Multi-Omics Studies of COVID-19 and Long COVID in a Latin American Population
Authors: Signore Iskra A. , Donoso Gerardo , Bocchieri Pamela , Tobar-Calfucoy Eduardo A. , Yáñez Cristian E. , Carvajal-Silva Laura , Silva Andrea X. , Otth Carola , Cappelli Claudio , Valenzuela Jorquera Héctor , Zapata-Contreras Daniela , Espinosa-Parrilla Yolanda , Zúñiga-Pacheco Paula , Fuentes-Guajardo Macarena , Monardes-Ramírez Virginia A. , Kochifas Velasquez Pia , Muñoz Christian A. , Dorador Cristina , García-Araya Jonathan , Campillay-Véliz Claudia P. , Echeverria Cesar , Santander Rodolfo Alejandro , Cerpa Leslie C. , Martínez Matías F. , Quiñones Luis Abel , Lamoza Galleguillos Eduardo Roberto , Saez Hidalgo Juan , Nova-Lamperti Estefanía , Sanhueza Sergio , Giacaman Annesi , Acosta-Jamett Gerardo , Verdugo Cristóbal , Plaza Anita , Verdugo Claudio , Selman Carolina , Verdugo Ricardo Alejandro , Colombo Alicia 
Published: October 2024

Although a lack of diversity in genetic studies is an acknowledged obstacle for personalized medicine and precision public health, Latin American populations remain particularly understudied despite their heterogeneity and mixed ancestry. This gap extends to COVID-19 despite its variability in susceptibility and clinical course, where ethnic background appears to influence disease severity, with non-Europeans facing higher hospitalization rates. In addition, access to high-quality samples and data is a critical issue for personalized and precision medicine, and it has become clear that the solution lies in biobanks. The creation of the Chilean COVID-19 Biorepository reported here addresses these gaps, representing the first nationwide multicentric Chilean initiative. It operates under rigorous biobanking standards and serves as one of South America’s largest COVID cohorts. A centralized harmonization strategy was chosen and included unified standard operating procedures, a sampling coding system, and biobanking staff training. Adults with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection provided broad informed consent. Samples were collected to preserve blood, plasma, buffy coat, and DNA. Quality controls included adherence to the standard preanalytical code, incident reporting, and DNA concentration and absorbance ratio 260/280 assessments. Detailed sociodemographic, health, medication, and preexisting condition data were gathered. In five months, 2262 participants were enrolled, pseudonymized, and sorted by disease severity. The average Amerindian ancestry considering all participant was 44.0% [SD 15.5%], and this value increased to 61.2% [SD 19.5%] among those who self-identified as Native South Americans. Notably, 279 participants self-identified with one of 12 ethnic groups. High compliance (>90%) in all assessed quality controls was achieved. Looking ahead, our team founded the COVID-19 Genomics Network (C19-GenoNet) focused on identifying genetic factors influencing SARS-CoV-2 outcomes. In conclusion, this bottom-up collaborative effort aims to promote the integration of Latin American populations into global genetic research and welcomes collaborations supporting this endeavor. Interested parties are invited to explore collaboration opportunities through our catalog, accessible online.