A Data-Centric Strategy for Modern Biobanking

  • Philip R. Quinlan
  • Stephen Gardner
  • Martin Groves
  • Richard Emes
  • Jonathan Garibaldi
Part of the Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology book series (AEMB, volume 864)

Abstract

Biobanking has been in existence for many decades and over that time has developed significantly. Biobanking originated from a need to collect, store and make available biological samples for a range of research purposes. It has changed as the understanding of biological processes has increased and new sample handling techniques have been developed to ensure samples were fit-for-purpose.

As a result of these developments, modern biobanking is now facing two substantial new challenges. Firstly, new research methods such as next generation sequencing can generate datasets that are at an infinitely greater scale and resolution than previous methods. Secondly, as the understanding of diseases increases researchers require a far richer data set about the donors from which the sample originate.

To retain a sample-centric strategy in a research environment that is increasingly dictated by data will place a biobank at a significant disadvantage and even result in the samples collected going unused. As a result biobanking is required to change strategic focus from a sample dominated perspective to a data-centric strategy.

Keywords

Biobanking Big data Biobanking strategy 

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Copyright information

© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2015

Authors and Affiliations

  • Philip R. Quinlan
    • 1
    • 2
    • 3
  • Stephen Gardner
    • 4
  • Martin Groves
    • 5
  • Richard Emes
    • 1
    • 2
  • Jonathan Garibaldi
    • 2
    • 3
  1. 1.School of Veterinary Medicine and ScienceUniversity of NottinghamLeicestershireUK
  2. 2.School of Computer ScienceUniversity of NottinghamNottinghamUK
  3. 3.Advanced Data Analysis CentreUniversity of NottinghamNottinghamUK
  4. 4.Biolauncher Ltd, Witney Innovation CentreWitneyUK
  5. 5.Tayside Tissue Bank, HIC Services, Tayside Medical Science CentreUniversity of DundeeDundeeUK

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