Advancing Professionalization of Biobank Business Operations: A Worldwide Survey

Abstract

Quality specimens from biobanks are key resources to support reproducible research. Sustaining biobanks requires robust management. We recently published a pilot survey that indicated that over half the participating biobanks had business plans in place and another third were working on business planning. While the results provided a clue to the status of business planning in biobanking, it was concluded that a longer and more indepth survey and analysis were required. In April 2017, an extended survey was distributed worldwide in English, French, Chinese, German, and Spanish, through multiple channels. The survey was built using the Survey Monkey tool. Our hypothesis was that those biobanks that already have a business plan also have a more professional management structure. The questions were designed to understand more details about each biobank's business operations and communications. A total of 276 biobanks participated (China 65, France 40, United States 34, Spain 27, Germany 24, Australia 23, and rest of the world 63). About two thirds of the biobanks were established in the last 10 years. The responses provided data on the size of biobanks answering the survey, their status of business planning, and how and through what mediums they are communicating with customers. Biobanks with a business plan or preparing to have one showed a clear trend of having a customer strategy for marketing the samples and communicating with customers. No trend could be seen regarding websites and activities in social media. We confirmed our hypothesis that biobanks that have or are in the process of preparing a business plan are showing a trend toward more professional structures. In the biobanking community, the business mind-set and use of the business plan as a management tool have not quite arrived.

Opportunities and Risks for Research Biobanks in the COVID-19 Era and Beyond

“…10 Biobanks that apply robust business management, as well as scientific best practices and standards, are consistent with high quality ''modern biobanking.'' [11][12][13][14] The SARS-CoV-2 virus has spread rapidly around the world and affected nations with COVID-19 disease on varying timelines. Currently, the COVID-19 pandemic continues at different stages in different countries with different effects on their health care systems.…”

“…As mentioned before professionally-organized biobanks with a clearly focused business plan will have competitive advantage to leverage. 7,[11][12][13][14]51 Responding to the research needs of the COVID-19 pandemic has been a major scientific, organizational, and financial challenge with an uncertain outcome. If prepared,…”

The urgency of utilizing COVID-19 biospecimens for research in the heart of the global pandemic

“…Most importantly, this approach reduces potential exposure by diminishing transfer of biohazardous materials, limiting the number of additional specimens needed for collection, and adhering to biosafety guidelines. Further, it creates the potential to generate a holistic, statistically powered, and standardized cohort characterization by compiling all results in one bank, and it fosters important long-term follow up by overcoming the well-documented issues with decentralized biobank sustainability [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14] . The creation of this resource at NYULH has enriched the community with high-quality patientlinked COVID-19 specimens, which has already contributed to novel findings about SARS-CoV-2 epidemiology 3 .…”

Advancing Professionalization of Biobank Business Operations: Performance and Utilization

“…The survey results focused on the status of business planning were analyzed and submitted for publication as the main analysis. 13 The current analysis extends the business operations planning by reviewing and interpreting the results of the questions on performance metrics and utilization, as they relate to sustainability. As is customary with these types of surveys, the data reported by the participants were assumed to be given.…”

“…To achieve a greater sample size and to ensure better representation of the global community, we decided to extend the scope of the survey and do more extensive sampling of biobanks worldwide. Recently, we reported these initial findings, 13 looking at sustainability and business planning in research biobanks in terms of how that related to advanced professionalization of biobank business operations. We reported that organizations that support biobanks have increasingly recognized the need to professionalize their management, staffing, and operations, particularly those with large collections and a drive to work with industry.…”