Biobanking for Cancer Biomarker Research: Issues and Solutions

Abstract

Biomarkers are critical tools that underpin precision medicine. However there has been slow progress and frequent failure of biomarker development. The root causes are multifactorial. Here, we focus on the need for fast, efficient, and reliable access to quality biospecimens as a critical area that impacts biomarker development. We discuss the past history of biobanking and the evolution of biobanking processes relevant to the specific area of cancer biomarker development as an example, and describe some solutions that can improve this area, thus potentially accelerating biomarker research.

Moving with the Times: The Health Science Alliance (HSA) Biobank, Pathway to Sustainability

“…However, the HSA Biobank is aware of the need to be agile 6 : a combination of maintaining relevance in response to changing researcher demands and a re-focus on sustainability has led to exploration of new directions which may augment the classic biobanking model. Areas which build on strengths within HSA Biobank participating institutions are currently being explored, with pilot projects underway in primary cell/organoid culture, microbiome research, bioimage banking and research using participant data alone.…”

“…2 Indeed, with the growth in personalised and precision medicine, and the associated expansion of biomarkers and novel therapeutics under development, research efforts to expedite introduction of new advancements in patient care can be strengthened by working with biobanks. 5,6 It is critical for the advancement of personalised medicine in particular that researchers can access a strong collection of patient biospecimens, annotated with clinical and pathological data. 7 The considerable burden placed upon individual researchers in organising their own collection of suitable samples, justifies this clear translational need; consequently, over recent decades this has resulted in a global trend for human biospecimen collection and biobanking, on different scales and utilising different models.Cancer researchers are amongst the most prolific users of biobanks.…”

“…However, despite the criticisms of classic biobanks, wholesale abandonment of these repositories would presume that the nature of future scientific research is settled, when the emergence of new technologies may confer new importance upon existing specimens. One example is the recently expanded utility of formaldehyde-fixed, paraffin embedded (FFPE) blocks which now have additional research value through the evolution of molecular techniques enabling the use of fixed tissue in genomic studies 6 , 10 , 11 ; the maturity of many of these specimens means that accompanying clinical outcome data is available.…”

Radiotherapy biobanking: current landscape, opportunities, challenges, and future aspirations

“…The UK National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) recognised this and, with the goal of improving biobanking in general, established the Confederation of Cancer Biobanks [24] in 2006, and incorporated it into the NCRI Cellular Molecular Pathology (CMPath) initiative in 2016; the objective is to share best practice, to improve the coordination between existing collections, and to raise awareness of existing collections. CMPath worked towards improving and standardising sample collection and reporting by devising a freely available Biobanking Sample Quality Improvement Tool [25] highlighted by the need for sample and data standardisation, especially for biomarker studies [26,27].…”

Biobanking of Patient-Derived Xenografts as a Basis for Translation Research in Oncology

“…В начале 1990-х гг. биобанкинг не был распространенным явлением в научной среде, однако с течением времени использование биопрепаратов человека значительно увеличилось, в настоящее время около 40% всех исследовательских работ в области онкологии выполняется с привлечением ресурсов из биологических коллекций [6].…”