An NCI perspective on creating sustainable biospecimen resources

Area of Science:

• Biobanking and Translational Research
• Biomedical Research Standards
• Personalized Medicine

Background:

• High-quality biospecimens with clinical data are essential for personalized medicine.
• Inconsistent biospecimen quality hinders research progress.
• The National Cancer Institute (NCI) established the Office of Biorepositories and Biospecimen Research (OBBR) to address these challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To outline NCI's initiatives to improve biospecimen quality and data accessibility.
• To introduce the cancer HUman Biobank (caHUB) national biobanking effort.
• To discuss technical, governance, and economic considerations for caHUB.

Main Methods:

• Development of NCI's "Best Practices for Biospecimen Resources" by OBBR and the NCI Biorepository Coordinating Committee.
• Establishment of a Biospecimen Research Network to fund evidence-based practice research.
• Authorization of a national biobanking effort, caHUB, to address knowledge gaps.

Main Results:

• NCI has implemented "Best Practices" and funded research to improve biospecimen standards.
• The caHUB initiative aims to systematically improve human biobanking.
• Progressive efforts in technical, governance, and economic aspects are being made for caHUB.

Conclusions:

• NCI's initiatives are enhancing the availability of high-quality biospecimens and data for cancer research.
• caHUB will strengthen standards and advance the science of human biobanking.
• Addressing technical, governance, and economic factors is key to caHUB's success.