Biobanks are critical resources for paediatric translational research and are fundamental for better healthcare for children in the future. However, due to the rarity of childhood diseases, small specimen volumes, and the parochial scope of paediatric cancer research, the maintaining the ongoing impact of paediatric biobanks is a huge challenge.
The Tumour Bank in The Children’s Hospital at Westmead (TB-CHW) operates as a single institutional biobank within CHW. Within 20 years of practice, it persistently explored different biobanking models to best remain a relevant research infrastructure. It started as a retrospective biobank where sample storage with passive biospecimen distribution but grew to be an active push-out distribution model when our holdings became sufficient to drive meaningful research. With the growth of precision medicine and targeted therapy clinical trials in paediatric cancer management, the need for biospecimens to be immediately distributed to a range a testing centres has increased dramatically. Hence, the role of the biobank for sample storage for extended periods of time no longer aligns with the needs of the clinic-research community. Recognising that change in our practice was required we describe here how we have drawn on of expertise in tissue handling for research has built shift our focus to biobanking service provision and consultancy. We will describe…
To conclude, biobank exists to facilitate health care. Therefore, in order to achieve long term impact, biobank needs to transform, adapt and develop following health care’s advancement and potential needs. Survival of the fittest!