WA is home to many independent biobanks, containing invaluable biospecimens and data. However, realising their potential as drivers of innovative and investable pre-clinical research and digital health, requires unified and transparent governance, improved and harmonised quality practices, forward-thinking sample/ data curation, integrated omic and e-research infrastructure, and accredited collection-to-storage facilities and services. Accordingly, WA’s health and research sectors have combined to support capability and capacity building through the new WA Biobanking Model 2022.
The four key elements of the Model are: (1) World-Class Governance and Quality - secured by inclusive governance and ethics policy reform and a new dynamic e-consent toolkit, participating biobank SOPs will be harmonised, guided by a statewide quality manual and monitored by quality audits and proficiency testing; (2) Information Integration and Sharing - an online information hub and inventory search will be established for greater visibility and connectivity, a new common biobank data management system will be created using REDCap, and new streamlined state/ national biobank-health data linkage processes will be introduced; (3) Enabling Services and Facilities - within the new statewide pathology-managed biobank service model, skills will be enhanced using validated training and certification resources, accrual of an ongoing shared-use control collection will commence, and new centralised processing/ coordination and scalable storage facilities will be designed and built; (4) E-Research and Digital Health – a multi-omics, e-research and digital health network will form to unite leading infrastructure and talent, and work with the WA Digital Health Strategy and UWA Centre for Entrepreneurial Research and Innovation to better support holistic pre-clinical research and digital health towards a new level of evidence, clinical decision-making and commercialisation.
The Model is a comprehensive platform to advance WA biobanking and big data into the age of artificial intelligence, while also providing a compelling model to consider for national biobanking strategy.