Biobanking is a fascinating emerging industry. It’s responsible for many recent scientific breakthroughs, and biobanking software, freezer inventory software, environmental research, and freezer software has been the subject of a lot of discussion in the science community. It is slowly becoming more recognized in the world at large as well. It’s certainly an industry that affects us all so we should pay attention! The specifics of this industry are very interesting, so read on and gain some awesome knowledge!
In U.S. biobanks alone, there were more than 300 million tissue samples at the turn of the century. Since then, that number increases by 20 million each year.
Out of the 700 cancer researchers surveyed in 2011, 47% reported that they had trouble finding quality biobanking samples.
When it began, the biobanking industry was subject to criticism for its ethics. However, with usage of consent forms and new laws, those critiques have been squashed.
17% of current biobanks have been in business for over 20 years or more, while two-thirds were established within the next decade.
53% of biobanks said that research on a particular disease is the most important reason for their establishment, while 29% responded that it was general research that was most important.
Biobanks are classified in two different ways: their governing body (federal government, foundation, etc.) or by their purpose/research.
44% of biobanking software stores pediatric specimens, while 36% are postmortem specimens.
Software in current biobanks allows researchers access to much larger amounts of data and samples. This leads to more discoveries!
A vast majority of biobanks have an internal oversight board of some sort.
The largest funding source for 36% these establishments is the federal government, and they have also funded some amount of research for 57% of responding biobanks. Other sources include fees for services and funding from individuals or foundations.
An estimated 1,658,370 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in 2015. In 2014, there were 14.5 million people with a history of cancer alive.
What do you think about biobanking? Is it research you stand behind or do you still believe there are ethics issues with it? Give us your thoughts in the comments below!
