BACKGROUND
The Health Science Alliance (HSA) Biobank was established in 2012 as a commitment of the Cancer Institute NSW-funded Translational Cancer Research Center, the Translational Cancer Research Network (TCRN). The HSA Biobank was a collaborative initiative between the South-East Sydney Local Health District (SESLHD), NSW Health Pathology (NSWHP, then known as South-Eastern Area Laboratory Service, SEALS) and the University of NSW (UNSW). The HSA Biobank was initially introduced at the Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, but was expanded to other hospitals within the SESLHD.
AIM
The HSA Biobank was established to collect resected tissue and a blood sample under a universal consent, from all known or suspected cancer surgeries, and to make these specimens available to any cancer researcher around the world with ethical approval for their project.
METHODS
RESULTS
After 10 years, the HSA Biobank held >20,000 biospecimens from >4000 consented participants. The collection reflects areas of strength within the participating hospitals, including gynecological and upper gastrointestinal cancers, and sarcoma. Importantly, as the collection grew, research access increased: 40 projects were directly supported, >60 publications and presentations were generated, and 28 grants to a total of >$9 million were influenced.
CONCLUSIONS
The HSA Biobank as a translational resource for cancer research has led to the generation of significant research outcomes; it continues to provide biospecimens and data under a new name, the Health Precincts Biobank.