Biobanking Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities

Abstract

Objectives: To review the different interests and needs of industry and academic users of human biomaterials. Methods: A review of the current literature and interviews with involved parties. Questionnaires were e-mailed to assess current attitudes towards biobanking and opinions of trends and implications for the future. The organisations included commercial biobanks, charitable foundations, academic biobanks, and hospital sites. Results: Biobanks have the potential to have a critical impact across several industrial sectors, and their future success will depend on satisfying the differing needs of each group. There is a growing need for greater collaboration between researchers and biobanks, and if the involvement of industry is not sought by biobanks to create conditions that support the effective use of resources, there is a risk that samples will not be collected or used to the best advantage. Conclusions: It is evident that industry can play a vital role in the innovation process of biobanking, both in terms of the collecting and processing methods and the nature of the disease and sample types collected. With this feedback, biobanks can be utilised effectively to advance research to the benefits of all to the best advantage.

A Preliminary Study to Explore the Informed Consent Approach and the Ethical Challenges in the Malaysian Biobanking for Research

“…Those who never had exposure to research ethics training have a lack of knowledge and awareness on the types of informed consent, ethical issues, and legal consequences. Despite the arguments on the types of informed consent and its ethical and legal aspects in biobanking (Kegley 2004;Khan et al 2014;Mackenzie 2014), 44% of the informants in this study who were involved directly in biobanking research were unsure of other types of informed consent in biobanking and its ethical and legal consequences. This study showed that although the informants were involved directly in biobanking research, experience alone may not be sufficient to help them understand and be aware of the ethical and legal implications in biobanking.…”

Recommendations for a Dutch Sustainable Biobanking Environment

“…The potential for public–private collaboration in the field of biobanking is underused, even though there is a demand from companies for samples, data, and research ideas. 12 , 79 This lack of cooperation is also undesirable from a societal point of view, as the private sector is generally needed to bring new innovations to the market and create impact for patients. Academic researchers and biobanks may benefit from public–private partnerships through joint publications, enhanced reputation, and visibility, additional funding and the exchange of knowledge.…”

The Availability of Human Biospecimens to Support Biomarker Research

“… 10 , 11 This has provided a stimulus for increased access to fixed tissues in clinical archives for retrospective studies. 12 , 13 At the same time, there has been a recent increased demand for prospectively collected fresh tissue and blood samples, 14 , 15 possibly attributable to the increased interest in the function of the immune system in health research. Collectively these trends have led to diminished demand for frozen biospecimens in biobank inventories ( Figure 1 ).…”