p-BioSPRE-an information and communication technology framework for transnational biomaterial sharing and access

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Informatics
• Genomics
• Biobanking

Background:

• Biobanks are essential for clinico-genomic research and personalized medicine.
• Secure access and sharing of high-quality biomaterial and data are critical for scientific advancement.
• Integrating biobanks into biomedical Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructures is a growing area of interest.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the p-BioSPRE framework, a component of the European p-medicine project.
• To enable secure access to and sharing of biobank resources for personalized medicine research.
• To simplify the management of biospecimens and related clinical data.

Main Methods:

• Development of the p-BioSPRE (p-medicine Biospecimen Search and Project Request Engine) framework.
• Integration with the ObTiMA Trial Biomaterial Manager for data management.
• Consideration of ethical and legal standards for data and biospecimen sharing.

Main Results:

• p-BioSPRE provides a generic framework for accessing existing biobanks and offering biomaterial collections.
• The framework ensures secure sharing of biospecimens and data within research communities.
• It supports flexible integration of clinical and omics data, with initial applications in cancer research (leukemia, Wilms tumor).

Conclusions:

• The p-BioSPRE framework enhances secure and efficient access to biobank resources for personalized medicine.
• It addresses ethical and legal considerations, empowering biobanks to maintain control.
• The framework is adaptable for various disease entities beyond the initial cancer focus.