Biobanks collected for routine healthcare purposes: build-up and use for epidemiologic research

Biobanks-A Platform for Scientific and Biomedical Research

The development of biomedical science requires the creation of biological material collections that allow for the search and discovery of biomarkers for pathological conditions, the identification of new therapeutic targets, and the validation of these findings in samples from patients and healthy people. Over the past decades, the importance and need for biobanks have increased considerably. Large national and international biorepositories have replaced small collections of biological samples. The aim of this work is to provide a basic understanding of biobanks and an overview of how biobanks have become essential structures in modern biomedical research.

From cold fusion to cold storage: A comparative case study of how organizational champions caused two scientific megaprojects to fail

"Big science" has prompted scientific collaboration, ultimately leading to multidisciplinary, co-operative science. This has paved the way for organizational "champions", leading experts with the ability of driving organizational change. This study investigates the involvement of how "champions" contributed to the rapid failures of the 1980s case of the cold fusion initiative NCFI in Utah, and the 2000s case of BBMRI.se, the Swedish node of a biobank harmonization initiative, and how these two examples would become "failed scientific megaprojects". This descriptive comparative case study has utilized available literature and documents covering the two megaprojects, with some supplemental interviews. The study shows that "champions" indeed enable research but simultaneously also risk becoming the downfall of the collaborative endeavors that have been set up. Moreover, this study has been able to uncover and analyze some of the most common types of organizational failure found in the two failed scientific megaprojects investigated. The common lesson inferred from both cases is that the unquestionable trust placed into some of the "champions" led to a lack of procedural transparency and professional candidness, ultimately leading to a loss of trust from their respective funding bodies.

Obstacles to Widening Biosample Research

Switzerland has an excellent culture of medical research and is a melting pot for medical experts with international expertise. Nevertheless, as in other countries, the resources available to medical researchers are not being fully used. Biological samples, which enable a host of medical research studies to be carried out without invasive methods involving patients, are frequently left unused or forgotten. The aim of this study is to examine the experiences of biobank stakeholders regarding the use or underuse of biosamples, in order to develop paths to optimize biosample research. Interviews were carried out with 36 biobank stakeholders in Switzerland concerning their experiences with biosample use, and the possible obstacles at each stage of the process. Interviews revealed that standard operating procedures were the most frequently cited obstacle, although these were not judged to be severe hindrances. Despite a stated desire to develop biosample research, skepticism of sharing networks and wariness of new partnerships were strong themes. Biobanking still functions as an emerging field, in which exchange practices have yet to be established at the national and international levels. Sample exchange continues to function largely based on personal contacts; while this is an inherent feature of competitive medical research, opportunities for large-scale studies may be lost due to excessive caution.

The Need for Research Infrastructures: A Narrative Review of Large-Scale Research Infrastructures in Biobanking

BACKGROUND

Distributed Research Infrastructures are gaining political traction in Europe to facilitate scientific research. This development has gained particular momentum in the area of biobanking where cross-national attempts have been made toward harmonizing the biobanking standards across the European Union through the establishment of the organization BBMRI (BioBanking and Biomolecular Resources Research Infrastructure). BBMRI exists as separate national nodes across several European countries, although Sweden took on a pioneering role in its early stages. Thus, the Swedish node, BBMRI.se, was set up in 2009.

PURPOSE

To document publications addressing the current debate on large-scale distributed medical and/or biobank Research Infrastructures and identify the most pressing issues discussed by these articles through a narrative review.

METHODS

The Web of Science (WOS) and PubMed databases were searched to find prior studies of large-scale medical Research Infrastructures, with no limits set with regard to study design and/or time period. All identified articles published up until March 2016 were included in the initial review.

RESULTS

A total of 145 articles were retrieved from WOS and PubMed, though merely 17 ultimately made it past the final exclusion criteria. About two-thirds of the articles listed a first author affiliated to a European country. The articles most commonly discussed the need for developing and expanding the use of "infrastructures."

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS

The future of scientific research will call for a deeper and more widespread multidisciplinary collaboration. This will emphasize the need of research seeking to optimize the preconditions of securing sustainable scientific collaboration. Future investigators will thus need to understand the components and mechanisms of Research Infrastructures in addition to acquiring knowledge of how to build, manage, brand, and promote them as well.

Primary human papillomavirus testing in organized cervical screening

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

An update on the use of human papillomavirus (HPV) testing as the primary screening test for advancing the effectiveness of organized cervical screening programs.

RECENT FINDINGS

Because HPV-based cervical screening has a protective effect of longer duration than cervical cytology, screening intervals can be lengthened for HPV-negative women. Under most scenarios of HPV test price and HPV prevalence, primary HPV screening is more cost-effective than primary screening with cytology. If cytology is used to triage HPV-positive women, colposcopy referral rates are not increased. However, there are logistical challenges to implement HPV-based screening, such as the need to ensure that HPV tests are used at increased screening intervals and in the correct age groups, the need to cope with the variety of different HPV tests, the limited international standardization and quality assurance, and the need to optimize and evaluate the method switch in the real-life setting.

SUMMARY

The necessary infrastructure to exploit the potential of HPV-based screening for improved cost-efficiency exists within organized, invitational screening programs. Piloting of HPV screening can be implemented by such programs, preferably as randomized healthcare policies.

Ethical aspects of human biobanks: a systematic review

Aim

To systematically assess the existing literature on ethical aspects of human biobanks.

Method

We searched the Web of Science and PubMed databases to find studies addressing ethical problems in biobanks with no limits set (study design, study population, time period, or language of publication). All identified articles published until November 2010 were included. We analyzed the type of published articles, journals publishing them, involvement of countries/institutions, year of publication, and citations received, and qualitatively assessed every article in order to identify ethical issues addressed by the majority of published research on human biobanking.

Results

Hundred and fifty four studies satisfied our review criteria. The studies mainly came from highly developed countries and were all published in the last two decades, with over half of them published in 2009 or 2010. They most commonly discussed the informed consent, privacy and identifiability, return of results to participants, importance of public trust, involvement of children, commercialization, the role of ethics boards, international data exchange, ownership of samples, and benefit sharing.

Conclusions

The focus on ethical aspects is strongly present through the whole biobanking research field. Although there is a consensus on the old and most typical ethical issues, with further development of the field and increasingly complex structure of human biobanks, these issues will likely continue to arise and accumulate, hence requiring constant re-appraisal and continuing discussion.

Generating large-scale longitudinal data resources for aging research

OBJECTIVES

The need for large studies and the types of large-scale data resources (LSDRs) are discussed along with their general scientific utility, role in aging research, and affordability. The diversification of approaches to large-scale data resourcing is described in order to facilitate their use in aging research.

METHODS

The need for LSDRs is discussed in terms of (a) large sample size; (b) longitudinal design; (c) as platforms for additional investigator-initiated research projects; and (d) broad-based access to core genetic, biological, and phenotypic data.

DISCUSSION

It is concluded that a "lite-touch, lo-tech, lo-cost" approach to LSDRs is a viable strategy for the development of LSDRs and would enhance the likelihood of LSDRs being established which are dedicated to the wide range of important aging-related issues.