“An effective biobank provides high-quality and affordable biospecimens to drive research, aiding live-saving scientific discoveries”

Since the beginning of COVID-19, numerous biobanks have emerged to facilitate studies of the virus and disease, how it spreads, and why some people are more susceptible than others. Biobanks also provide pre-COVID samples for biological comparisons and further research. Going beyond the pandemic, biobanks play a crucial role in all disease areas. For decades now, unique collections of material, serum, tissue, and a variety of cells have been stored to help researchers understand non-communicable diseases as well. There are many critical considerations for biobanks, especially because of the safety implications of preserving sample integrity.

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Erik Steinfelder, Global Enterprise Relationship Lead, Thermo Fisher Scientific

To study disease risk and understand drug response numerous biobanks have emerged to facilitate genetic risk screening and pharmacogenomics in clinical research/ pandemic studies. These biorepositories preserve biospecimens like blood samples, gene pools, biopsy material, and even human microbiota. Numerous efforts are emerging to maintain biological samples through sustainable biobanking practices. Understanding that biobanks can be landmark resources for translating genomics into clinical care, and sharing insights and information critical to advancing science, Erik Steinfelder, Global Enterprise Relationship Lead at Thermo Fisher Scientific explains more about the emerging biobanking trends. Edited excerpts;

How has Asia progressed with biobanking in the last decade?

The demand for more, high-quality, and clinically annotated biospecimens will increase, primarily due to the unprecedented level of genomic, postgenomic, and personalised medicine research activities. Biobanks will need to adopt industrywide standard operating procedures, methods for quality assessment, less expensive methods for sample storage/distribution, and objective methods to manage scarce biospecimens. Public-private partnerships will also be important, as well as the number and diversity of available biospecimens, cost management, and the realisation that an effective biobank is one that provides high-quality and affordable biospecimens to drive research that aids in live-saving scientific discovery.