Biopreservation and Biobanking - Ziath - 1

BIOPRESERVATION AND BIOBANKING
ª 2021 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.
DOI: 10.1089/bio.2018.0079
Advancing Professionalization of Biobank Business Operations:
A Worldwide Survey
Marianne K. Henderson,1 Kirstin Goldring,2 and Daniel Simeon-Dubach3
Quality specimens from biobanks are key resources to support reproducible research. Sustaining biobanks
requires robust management. We recently published a pilot survey that indicated that over half the participating
biobanks had business plans in place and another third were working on business planning. While the results
provided a clue to the status of business planning in biobanking, it was concluded that a longer and more indepth
survey and analysis were required. In April 2017, an extended survey was distributed worldwide in
English, French, Chinese, German, and Spanish, through multiple channels. The survey was built using the
Survey Monkey tool. Our hypothesis was that those biobanks that already have a business plan also have a more
professional management structure. The questions were designed to understand more details about each biobank's
business operations and communications. A total of 276 biobanks participated (China 65, France 40,
United States 34, Spain 27, Germany 24, Australia 23, and rest of the world 63). About two thirds of the
biobanks were established in the last 10 years. The responses provided data on the size of biobanks answering
the survey, their status of business planning, and how and through what mediums they are communicating with
customers. Biobanks with a business plan or preparing to have one showed a clear trend of having a customer
strategy for marketing the samples and communicating with customers. No trend could be seen regarding
websites and activities in social media. We confirmed our hypothesis that biobanks that have or are in the
process of preparing a business plan are showing a trend toward more professional structures. In the biobanking
community, the business mind-set and use of the business plan as a management tool have not quite arrived.
Keywords: sustainability, business plan, biobanking, biobank management
Introduction
T
here is a clear imperative for the use of quality
human biological samples and associated data in basic,
preclinical, and clinical research, which has led to an increase
in the reliance of biobanking infrastructures to support
these research demands. Biobanks, which are often based
on clinical and academic settings, are relied on as key infrastructures,
which must meet ongoing and emerging needs for a
range of quality specimen types and associated data for the
stakeholders they serve. Consequently, biobanks must ensure
ongoing sustainability through sound business planning with
the ability to adapt to future market requirements.
Globally, biobanks have an increasing interest in sustainability,
and are moving to develop their strategic and
operating models and planning to ensure long-term success.1-4
However, due to the variability and diversity of
biobanks5 in terms of size, sample type, specificity of research
area, resource requirements, etc., the applicability
and level of business planning may differ, and there is not a
''one size fits all'' model of sustainability. By considering
the different pillars of sustainability, including operational,
financial, and social aspects and learning from the
experiences of others, biobanks can develop and adapt
their model to support their stakeholder and organizational
requirements.6,7
Relatively little reporting has been done on the level of
business planning in biobanks8 and associated effectiveness
(or not) in achieving sustainable practices. In this article, we
provide insight on the move to business planning and sustainability
in biobanking across the globe.
Early in 2017, we published the results of a pilot survey
focused on the awareness and level of business planning in
biobanks, which included the participants of the sustainability
symposium at the 2016 Annual Meeting of the International
Society of Biological and Environmental Repositories (ISBER)
held in Berlin, Germany.6 The survey was delivered through a
smartphone device during the symposium. While the pilot
1National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Rockville, Maryland.
2Sample Management, Discovery Science, IMED Biotech Unit, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
3Medservice, Biobanking Consulting & Services, Walchwil, Switzerland.
Reprinted with permission from Biopreserv and Biobank 2019;17(1):71-75. ªMary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.
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