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Byrne JA, Banaszak AT, Carpenter JE, Carroll SL, Castelhano MG, Espinal PS, Henderson MK, Hettiaratchi A, Maseme M, Ng W, Patel K, Popescu I, Prada SI, Schleif WS, Smith M, Wee S, Weil CJ, Woods K. Priorities in Biobanking Research: A Report on the 2021 ISBER Round Table. Biopreserv Biobank 2023; 21:111-113. [PMID: 35507966 PMCID: PMC9963461 DOI: 10.1089/bio.2021.0178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer A. Byrne
- New South Wales Health Pathology, Camperdown, Australia
- School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Anastazia T. Banaszak
- Institute of Ocean Sciences and Limnology, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
| | | | - Steven L. Carroll
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, USA
| | - Marta G. Castelhano
- Cornell Veterinary Biobank, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Paula S. Espinal
- Nicklaus Children's Biobank, Research Institute, Nicklaus Children's Hospital, Miami, Florida, USA
| | | | | | - Mantombi Maseme
- National Health Laboratory Service, Biobank, Constitution Hill, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Wayne Ng
- Victorian Cancer Biobank, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Kirtika Patel
- Moi University, School of Medicine, College of Health Science, Eldoret, Kenya
| | - Iuliana Popescu
- Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center, University of Kentucky, College of Medicine, Lexington, Kentucky, USA
| | - Sergio I. Prada
- Fundación Valle del Lili, Centro de Investigaciones Clínicas, Cali, Colombia
- Centro PROESA, Universidad Icesi, Cali, Colombia
| | - William S. Schleif
- Johns Hopkins All Children's Pediatric Biorepository, Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital, St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
- Pediatric Biospecimen Science Program, Johns Hopkins All Children's Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
| | - Miranda Smith
- The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Shirley Wee
- Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Southport, Australia
| | - Carol J. Weil
- National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Katherine Woods
- St Vincent's Biobank, NRL, St Vincent's Institute of Medical Research, Fitzroy, Australia
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2
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Economics of Biobanking: Business or Public Good? Literature Review, Structural and Thematic Analysis. SOCIAL SCIENCES-BASEL 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/socsci11070288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
This paper reviewed the relevant scientific literature on the business and economics of biobanking to explore key themes and paradigms. The structural properties of the literature were investigated, such as key authors, journals, studies, as well as co-citation and co-authorship networks; the study revealed that the research on business and economics is a niche area within the vast biobanking literature. The research is concentrated in a relatively small number of journals, institutions, and countries, which is rather surprising given the substantial public investment in and concerns about biobank sustainability. The structural analysis also suggested major themes in research on biobanking business and economics and noted shifts in focus on specific themes. The commercialisation of samples is more acknowledged than before but under the condition of equitable sharing of benefits across various stakeholders. Most biobanks are heavily subsidised by the public sector and are considered public goods rather than business enterprises. This is OK, but underutilisation of specimens and low rates of cost recovery suggest that the current mainstream operating model is hardly sustainable. With many biobanks maturing, long-term sustainability became a key topic of the discussion on biobanking trends.
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3
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Tarling TE, Byrne JA, Watson PH. The Availability of Human Biospecimens to Support Biomarker Research. Biomark Insights 2022; 17:11772719221091750. [PMID: 35464611 PMCID: PMC9021506 DOI: 10.1177/11772719221091750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Preserved biospecimens held in biobank inventories and clinical archives are important resources for biomarker research. Recent advances in technologies have led to an increase in use of clinical archives in particular, in order to study retrospective cohorts and to generate data relevant to tissue biomarkers. This raises the question of whether the current sizes of biobank inventories are appropriate to meet the demands of biomarker research. This commentary discusses this question by considering data concerning overall biobank and biospecimen numbers to estimate current biospecimen supply and use. The data suggests that biospecimen supply exceeds current demand. Therefore, it may be important for individual biobanks to reassess the targets for their inventories, consider culling unused portions of these inventories, and shift resources towards providing prospective custom biobanking services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamsin E Tarling
- Biobanking and Biospecimen Research Services, Deeley Research Centre, BC Cancer, Victoria, BC, Canada.,Canadian Tissue Repository Network, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Jennifer A Byrne
- New South Wales Health Statewide Biobank, New South Wales Health Pathology, Camperdown, NSW, Australia.,School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
| | - Peter H Watson
- Biobanking and Biospecimen Research Services, Deeley Research Centre, BC Cancer, Victoria, BC, Canada.,Canadian Tissue Repository Network, Vancouver, Canada
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4
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Argudo-Portal V, Domènech M. 'We came here to stay': Making biobanks worth maintaining in Spain. SOCIOLOGY OF HEALTH & ILLNESS 2022; 44:328-344. [PMID: 34921566 DOI: 10.1111/1467-9566.13420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2021] [Revised: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/25/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The oscillation between the promise and the disappointment of biobanks as techno-scientific infrastructures for contemporary biomedical research is frequent in the literature. In this article, we analysed how the precariousness of biobanks is leading to shifts in the focus of biobanking in Spain, where there are calls for some practices to be rearticulated. Drawing upon fieldwork and interviews with biobankers, we looked at which practices are highlighted for change to make biobanks worth maintaining and keep them afloat. We analysed these practices to unpack the values biobankers deploy to make sense of biobanking and turn it into two worthiness criteria: social return and dynamism. These criteria are intertwined and revolve around ethically calibrating the accumulation and sharing practices, 'sharing but not too much'. The porosity of biobanking practices and legislation, not to mention over a decade of austerity measures make biobanks fragile scientific infrastructures in Spain. We examine how biobanking practices are shifting in Spain to stay in the precarious techno-scientific present while challenging assumptions on cryopreservation and preparedness. Our local account highlights the relevance of further inquiries on shifts in biobanking to attend to which kinds of biomedical research and knowledge might be coproduced by such infrastructural reconfigurations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Violeta Argudo-Portal
- Barcelona Science and Technology Studies Group (STS-b), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Miquel Domènech
- Barcelona Science and Technology Studies Group (STS-b), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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5
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Stephens N. Join our team, change the world: edibility, producibility and food futures in cultured meat company recruitment videos. FOOD, CULTURE, & SOCIETY 2022; 25:32-48. [PMID: 35177960 PMCID: PMC8842710 DOI: 10.1080/15528014.2021.1884787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Cultured meat is a novel technology that uses tissue engineering to expand cells taken from animals to grow muscle for consumption as food. Those supporting the technology anticipate it could radically disrupt livestock farming with, they propose, significant benefits for the environment, human health, and animal wellbeing. This paper examines the emergence of this sector through the prism of one of the leading companies - Memphis Meats - in particular focusing upon their online recruitment activity in online videos. Founded in 2015, by 2020 they had announced investment of over $160 m to build a pilot-plant and recruit staff to bring cultured meat closer to commercialization. This paper argues the company's recruitment videos work to enact what I term "producibility", a concept aligned to existing work on "edibility", that emphasizes the process of becoming that foodstuff (included novel foodstuffs) undergo. I deploy existing theoretical work on multiple categories of futures - big/little, individual/institutional/field - to analyze Memphis Meats' online recruitment activity. I argue that, by entangling science and food futures, the company's videos work to assert the status and politics of cultured meat, render it producible and edible, and articulate a novel and transformative food-professional identity: the cultured meat producer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neil Stephens
- Social and Political Sciences, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, UK
- CONTACT Neil Stephens
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6
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Byrne JA, Carpenter JE, Carter C, Phillips K, Braye S, Watson PH, Rush A. Building Research Support Capacity across Human Health Biobanks during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Biomark Insights 2021; 16:11772719211024100. [PMID: 34177256 PMCID: PMC8207259 DOI: 10.1177/11772719211024100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2021] [Accepted: 05/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Human health biobanks are forms of research infrastructure that supply biospecimens and associated data to researchers, and therefore juxtapose the activities of clinical care and biomedical research. The discipline of biobanking has existed for over 20 years and is supported by several international professional societies and dedicated academic journals. However, despite both rising research demand for human biospecimens, and the growth of biobanking as an academic discipline, many individual biobanks continue to experience sustainability challenges. This commentary will summarize how the COVID-19 pandemic is creating new challenges and opportunities for both the health biobanking sector and the supporting discipline of biobanking. While the challenges for biobanks may be numerous and acute, there are opportunities for both individual biobanks and the discipline of biobanking to embrace change such that biobanks can continue to support and drive biomedical research. We will therefore describe numerous practical steps that individual biobanks and/or the discipline of biobanking can take to survive and possibly thrive in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer A Byrne
- New South Wales Health Statewide Biobank, New South Wales Health Pathology, Camperdown, NSW, Australia.,Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Jane E Carpenter
- New South Wales Health Pathology, Newcastle, NSW, Australia.,Scientific Platforms, The Westmead Institute for Medical Research, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Candace Carter
- New South Wales Health Statewide Biobank, New South Wales Health Pathology, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
| | - Kathleen Phillips
- New South Wales Health Statewide Biobank, New South Wales Health Pathology, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
| | - Stephen Braye
- New South Wales Health Pathology, Newcastle, NSW, Australia
| | - Peter H Watson
- Biobanking and Biospecimen Research Services, Deeley Research Centre, BC Cancer Agency, Victoria, BC, Canada.,Canadian Tissue Repository Network, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Amanda Rush
- New South Wales Health Statewide Biobank, New South Wales Health Pathology, Camperdown, NSW, Australia.,Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,Children's Cancer Research Unit, Kids Research, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, NSW, Australia
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7
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van der Stijl R, Manders P, Eijdems EWHM. Recommendations for a Dutch Sustainable Biobanking Environment. Biopreserv Biobank 2021; 19:228-240. [PMID: 34042498 PMCID: PMC8217590 DOI: 10.1089/bio.2021.0011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Biobanks and their collections are considered essential for contemporary biomedical research and a critical resource toward personalized medicine. However, they need to operate in a sustainable manner to prevent research waste and maximize impact. Sustainability is the capacity of a biobank to remain operative, effective, and competitive over its expected lifetime. This remains a challenge given a biobank's position at the interplay of ethical, societal, scientific, and commercial values and the difficulties in finding continuous funding. In the end, biobanks are responsible for their own sustainability. Still, biobanks also depend on their surrounding environment, which contains overarching legislative, policy, financial, and other factors that can either impede or promote sustainability. The Biobanking and Biomolecular Research Infrastructure for The Netherlands (BBMRI.nl) has worked on improving the national environment for sustainable biobanking. In this article, we present the final outcomes of this BBMRI.nl project. First, we summarize the current overarching challenges of the Dutch biobanking landscape. These challenges were gathered during workshops and focus groups with Dutch biobanks and their users, for which the full results are described in separate reports. The main overarching challenges relate to sample and data quality, funding, use and reuse, findability and accessibility, and the general image of biobanks. Second, we propose a package of recommendations—across nine themes—toward creating overarching conditions that stimulate and enable sustainable biobanking. These recommendations serve as a guideline for the Dutch biobanking community and their stakeholders to jointly work toward practical implementation and a better biobanking environment. There are undoubtedly parallels between the Dutch situation and the challenges found in other countries. We hope that sharing our project's approach, outcomes, and recommendations will support other countries in their efforts toward sustainable biobanking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rogier van der Stijl
- University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.,UMCG Research BV, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.,BBMRI.nl, Biobanking and Biomolecular Resources Research Infrastructure, The Netherlands
| | - Peggy Manders
- Radboud Biobank, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Elisabeth W H M Eijdems
- University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.,BBMRI.nl, Biobanking and Biomolecular Resources Research Infrastructure, The Netherlands
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Argudo-Portal V, Domènech M. The reconfiguration of biobanks in Europe under the BBMRI-ERIC framework: towards global sharing nodes? LIFE SCIENCES, SOCIETY AND POLICY 2020; 16:9. [PMID: 33000342 PMCID: PMC7528224 DOI: 10.1186/s40504-020-00105-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2020] [Accepted: 08/31/2020] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Freezers with biospecimen deposits became biobanks and later were networked at the pan-European level in 2013 under the Biobanking and BioMolecular Resources Research Infrastructure-European Research Infrastructure Consortium (BBMRI-ERIC). Drawing on document analysis about the BBMRI-ERIC and multi-sited fieldwork with biobankers in Spain from a science and technology studies approach, we explore what biobanks are expected to do and become under the BBMRI-ERIC framework, and how infrastructural transitions promote particular transformations in biobanking practices. The primary purpose of biobanks in Europe is presented as being to become mediators in contemporary biomedical research (global sharing nodes) distribution, and distributed nodes of samples and their associated data. We argue that infrastructural transitions are complicated and heterogeneous, giving rise to unattended local concerns on adjusting their practices to fit into the BBMRI-ERIC framework, even for non-members, as the case of Spain illustrates, where "old practices" of collection and storage are questioned. In this article, we aim to encourage qualitative studies to explore the lags between pan-European policies and prospects, different contextual interpretations, and biobanking reconfigurations as an opportunity to explore what that lag is made of (e.g. tensions with "old practices," unresolved conflicts with the national agendas, reservations on a possible centralization of the biobanking practices by regional biobanks, lack of funding, etc.). Such research could enrich not only policy guidance, but also the understanding of technoscientific infrastructures' scalability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Violeta Argudo-Portal
- Barcelona Science and Technology Studies Group (STS-b). Department of Social Psychology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Campus de la UAB. Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), 08193, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Miquel Domènech
- Barcelona Science and Technology Studies Group (STS-b). Department of Social Psychology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Campus de la UAB. Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), 08193, Barcelona, Spain
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9
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Lin JC, Hsiao WWW, Fan CT. Transformation of the Taiwan Biobank 3.0: vertical and horizontal integration. J Transl Med 2020; 18:304. [PMID: 32762757 PMCID: PMC7406956 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-020-02451-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2020] [Accepted: 07/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Researchers expect a high quality of biospecimens/data and value-added services from biobanks. Therefore, the concept of "biobank 3.0" was introduced so that biobanks could better meet the needs of stakeholders and maintain sustainable operations. Theoretically, the Taiwan Biobank (TWB) has already gone through the concepts of biobank 1.0 and 2.0. However, three challenges still need to be addressed before it can be transformed into a new generation of the TWB (namely, the TWB 3.0): (1) the difficulty of integrating other biobanks' resources, (2) the efficiency and effectiveness of the release and use of biospecimens/data, and (3) the development of income and revenue models of sustainability. To address these issues, this paper proposes a framework for the TWB 3.0 transformation based on a dual-pillar approach composed of a "physically" vertical integration driven by the TWB and a "virtually" horizontal network led by the National Health Research Institutes (NHRI) of Taiwan. Using prominent biobanks such as the Biobanking and BioMolecular Resources Research Infrastructure-European Research Infrastructure Consortium (BBMRI-ERIC), the UK Biobank, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH)'s All of Us Research Program as models, the TWB can strengthen its on-going TWB 2.0 operations in regional and/or international collaboration, increase the value of data collected and develop closer relationships with biobank participants and users. To these ends, the authors highlight key issues that include, but are not limited to, the harmonization of relevant ELSI standards for various biobanks' integrations; the value-added services and the efficiency of Big Data Era related research and/or precision medicine development, and financial concerns related to biobank sustainability. This paper concludes by discussing how greater participant engagement and the uptake of Information Technology (IT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications can be used in partnership with vertical and horizontal integration as part of a four-pronged approach to promote biobank sustainability, and facilitate the TWB 3.0 transformation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jui-Chu Lin
- College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
- Graduate Institute of Applied Science and Technology, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
- Law & Technology Innovation Center, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
- Ethical, Legal and Social Implications (ELSI) Working Task of the Taiwan Biobank, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Wesley Wei-Wen Hsiao
- Graduate Institute of Applied Science and Technology, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
- Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Chien-Te Fan
- Institute of Law for Science and Technology, National Tsing Hua University, Hsin-Chu, Taiwan, ROC.
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10
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Blood, meat, and upscaling tissue engineering: Promises, anticipated markets, and performativity in the biomedical and agri-food sectors. BIOSOCIETIES 2018; 13:368-388. [PMID: 34249140 PMCID: PMC7611148 DOI: 10.1057/s41292-017-0072-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Tissue engineering is a set of biomedical technologies, including stem cell science, which seek to grow biological tissue for a diversity of applications. In this paper, we explore two emergent tissue engineering technologies that seek to cause a step change in the upscaling capacity of cell growth: cultured blood and cultured meat. Cultured blood technology seeks to replace blood transfusion with a safe and affordable bioengineered replacement. Cultured meat technology seeks to replace livestock-based food production with meat produced in a bioreactor. Importantly, cultured meat technology straddles the industrial contexts of biomedicine and agrifood. In this paper, we articulate (i) the shared and divergent promissory trajectories of the two technologies and (ii) the anticipated market, consumer, and regulatory contexts of each. Our analysis concludes by discussing how the sectoral ontologies of biomedicine and agri-food impact the performative capacity of each technology’s promissory trajectory.
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11
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Heeney C, Kerr SM. Balancing the local and the universal in maintaining ethical access to a genomics biobank. BMC Med Ethics 2017; 18:80. [PMID: 29282045 PMCID: PMC5745812 DOI: 10.1186/s12910-017-0240-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2017] [Accepted: 12/18/2017] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Issues of balancing data accessibility with ethical considerations and governance of a genomics research biobank, Generation Scotland, are explored within the evolving policy landscape of the past ten years. During this time data sharing and open data access have become increasingly important topics in biomedical research. Decisions around data access are influenced by local arrangements for governance and practices such as linkage to health records, and the global through policies for biobanking and the sharing of data with large-scale biomedical research data resources and consortia. METHODS We use a literature review of policy relevant documents which apply to the conduct of biobanks in two areas: support for open access and the protection of data subjects and researchers managing a bioresource. We present examples of decision making within a biobank based upon observations of the Generation Scotland Access Committee. We reflect upon how the drive towards open access raises ethical dilemmas for established biorepositories containing data and samples from human subjects. RESULTS Despite much discussion in science policy literature about standardisation, the contextual aspects of biobanking are often overlooked. Using our engagement with GS we demonstrate the importance of local arrangements in the creation of a responsive ethical approach to biorepository governance. We argue that governance decisions regarding access to the biobank are intertwined with considerations about maintenance and viability at the local level. We show that in addition to the focus upon ever more universal and standardised practices, the local expertise gained in the management of such repositories must be supported. CONCLUSIONS A commitment to open access in genomics research has found almost universal backing in science and health policy circles, but repositories of data and samples from human subjects may have to operate under managed access, to protect privacy, align with participant consent and ensure that the resource can be managed in a sustainable way. Data access committees need to be reflexive and flexible, to cope with changing technology and opportunities and threats from the wider data sharing environment. To understand these interactions also involves nurturing what is particular about the biobank in its local context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine Heeney
- Science, Technology and Innovation Studies, University of Edinburgh, High School Yards, Edinburgh, Scotland EH1 1LZ UK
| | - Shona M. Kerr
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Western General Hospital, Crewe Road South, Edinburgh, Scotland EH4 2XU UK
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12
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Allen SC, Dixon MD, Switchenko JM, Pentz RD. Cancer donor preferences for disposition of their biospecimens after biobank closure. Cancer 2017; 123:4648-4652. [PMID: 28746751 DOI: 10.1002/cncr.30910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2017] [Revised: 07/03/2017] [Accepted: 07/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Biobank funding is unstable and biobank administrators are concerned about loss of funding and subsequent biobank closure. Nevertheless, only a minority of biobanks have policies regarding the distribution or destruction of tissue if the biobank were to close. To the authors' knowledge, the current study is the first to report on the preferences of oncology biospecimen donors regarding the handling of their biospecimens in the event of biobank closure. METHODS A total of 98 biospecimen donors who were diagnosed with cancer at the Georgia Cancer Center for Excellence at Grady Memorial Hospital or the Winship Cancer Institute were interviewed concerning their preferences for the handling of their biospecimens in the event of biobank closure. RESULTS The majority of biospecimen donors who expressed a preference (62 of 83 donors; 75%) wanted their biological materials transferred to another biobank, specifically an academic bank or a national bank. The most unacceptable options for the handling of tissue were transfer to a for-profit/pharmaceutical biobank (39 of 98 donors; 40%) or a biobank based outside of the United States (31 of 98 donors; 32%). Nonwhite participants were more likely to view the transfer of their tissue to a for-profit/pharmaceutical tissue bank, international tissue bank, or a national tissue bank as unacceptable compared with white participants. CONCLUSIONS According to these biospecimen donors, the most acceptable options for the handling of biospecimens after biobank closure were transfer to an academic or national bank. The most objectionable options were transfer to a for-profit/pharmaceutical biobank or a biobank based outside of the United States. These findings can be used as the basis for educational interventions directed at the public and can inform the policies of biobanks that serve oncology research. Cancer 2017;123:4648-4652. © 2017 American Cancer Society.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel C Allen
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Margie D Dixon
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Jeffrey M Switchenko
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.,Department of Hematology and Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia.,Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Department, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Rebecca D Pentz
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.,Department of Hematology and Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
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13
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Timmons S, Vezyridis P. Market-driven production of biospecimens and the role of NHS hospital-led biobanks. SOCIOLOGY OF HEALTH & ILLNESS 2017; 39:1242-1257. [PMID: 28555937 DOI: 10.1111/1467-9566.12584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Biobanks are vital for biospecimen production in research, despite the regulatory, recruitment and commercial difficulties they face. We conducted interviews with clinicians, researchers, volunteers who recruit biobank participants, regulators and NHS managers about the integration of a biobank into an NHS hospital. We show that medical waste collected for biomedical research acquires its socio-ethical and economic value from the level of integration (both technologically and organisationally) of the biobank into the NHS hospital. There is extensive investment in a range of intellectual and commercial relationships and labour among stakeholders involved in the production of biospecimens. It is not only the boundaries of research, clinical care and commercialisation of biospecimens that blur but also those of volunteerism and citizenship. Hospital-led biobanks provide an opportunity to study the intertwining of biomedical innovation and healthcare.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen Timmons
- Centre for Health Innovation, Leadership and Learning, Nottingham University Business School, UK
| | - Paraskevas Vezyridis
- Centre for Health Innovation, Leadership and Learning, Nottingham University Business School, UK
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14
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Cadigan RJ, Edwards TP, Lassiter D, Davis AM, Henderson GE. "Forward-Thinking" in U.S. Biobanking. Genet Test Mol Biomarkers 2017; 21:148-154. [PMID: 28118036 PMCID: PMC5367905 DOI: 10.1089/gtmb.2016.0393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
AIMS Do biobanks enact policies and plans that allow them to anticipate and respond to potential challenges? If a biobank has one such policy or plan, is it likely to have more? Using survey data from 456 U.S. biobanks, we assess four possible indicators of such "forward-thinking." METHODS We present response frequencies and cross-tabulations regarding policies for return of results and ownership of specimens, and for having a formal business plan and a plan for what happens to specimens if the biobank closes. We analyze the relationships among these indicators, using chi-square for tests of statistical significance. RESULTS Policies-Sixty-two percent of biobanks have a policy about returning individual research results; 70% have a policy designating ownership of specimens and/or technology. Having these two policies is significantly related (p < 0.001). Plans-34% of biobanks have a formal business plan; 26% have a written plan for what will happen to the specimens if the biobank closes. Having these two plans is significantly related (p < 0.001). Relationships among indicators-only 7% of biobanks are forward-thinking across all four indicators; 12% are forward-thinking across none. DISCUSSION The two policies we examined tend to occur together, as do the two plans. These policies and plans seem to tap different aspects of accountability and responsiveness. Specifically, the policies reflect issues most commonly raised in the ethical and legal literature on biobanking, while the plans are indicators of sustainability, a separate area of concern in biobanking.
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Affiliation(s)
- R. Jean Cadigan
- Department of Social Medicine, CB 7240, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Teresa P. Edwards
- HW Odum Institute for Research in Social Science, CB 3355, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Dragana Lassiter
- Department of Anthropology, CB 3115, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Arlene M. Davis
- Center for Bioethics, Department of Social Medicine, CB 7240, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Gail E. Henderson
- Department of Social Medicine, CB 7240, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
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Simeon-Dubach D, Zeisberger SM, Hoerstrup SP. Quality Assurance in Biobanking for Pre-Clinical Research. Transfus Med Hemother 2016; 43:353-357. [PMID: 27781023 DOI: 10.1159/000448254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2016] [Accepted: 07/04/2016] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
It is estimated that not less than USD 28 billion are spent each year in the USA alone on irreproducible pre-clinical research, which is not only a fundamental loss of investment and resources but also a strong inhibitor of efficiency for upstream processes regarding the translation towards clinical applications and therapies. The issues and cost of irreproducibility has mainly been published on pre-clinical research. In contrast to pre-clinical research, test material is often being transferred into humans in clinical research. To protect treated human subjects and guarantee a defined quality standard in the field of clinical research, the manufacturing and processing infrastructures have to strictly follow and adhere to certain (inter-)national quality standards. It is assumed and suggested by the authors that by an implementation of certain quality standards within the area of pre-clinical research, billions of USD might be saved and the translation phase of promising pre-clinical results towards clinical applications may substantially be improved. In this review, we discuss how an implementation of a quality assurance (QA) management system might positively improve sample quality and sustainability within pre-clinically focused biobank infrastructures. Biobanks are frequently positioned at the very beginning of the biomedical research value chain, and, since almost every research material has been stored in a biobank during the investigated life cycle, biobanking seems to be of substantial importance from this perspective. The role model of a QA-regulated biobank structure can be found in biobanks within the context of clinical research organizations such as in regenerative medicine clusters.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Steffen M Zeisberger
- Wyss Translational Center Zurich, Regenerative Medicine Technologies Platform, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Simon P Hoerstrup
- Wyss Translational Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, and Institute of Regenerative Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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16
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Stephens N, Dimond R. Unexpected tissue and the biobank that closed: an exploration of value and the momentariness of bio-objectification processes. LIFE SCIENCES, SOCIETY AND POLICY 2015; 11:14. [PMID: 26630883 PMCID: PMC4668246 DOI: 10.1186/s40504-015-0032-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2015] [Accepted: 11/25/2015] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Unanticipated situations can arise in biobanking. This paper empirically documents unexpected situations at the anonymous biobank 'Xbank'. Firstly, Xbank received an unexpected and significant quantity of tissue from the historical archive of a hospital network. Secondly, Xbank had its funding withdrawn before the designated end date for the grant, meaning the bank needed to either re-house or destroy its holdings. This paper articulates and uses the theoretical frameworks of bio-objectification and tissue economies to analyse the experiences of Xbank and draw out further implications of the potential precariousness of biobanking practice. The case study allows an inspection of how the value of tissue is configured and reconfigured as institutional contexts shift. We introduce the notion of momentariness as a way of grappling with the related temporariness and perpetualness of biobanking practice in both a theoretical and practical policy context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neil Stephens
- Department of Social Sciences, Media and Communications, Brunel University London, Kingston Lane, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB8 3PH, UK.
| | - Rebecca Dimond
- School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University, 12 Museum Place, Cardiff, CF10 3BG, UK
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