Oral Presentation Biobanking - Blue Sky Horizons (ABNA 19th Annual Conference)

Mapping A Sunburnt Country: An Australasian National Biospecimen Locator (#23)

Cassandra Griffin 1 , Anusha Hettiaratchi 2 , Georget Reaiche-Miller 3 , Pamela Saunders 4 , Justin Koch 5 , Lisa Devereux 6 7
  1. NSW Regional Biospecimen and Research Services, University of Newcastle , Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
  2. UNSW Biospecimen Services, University of NSW, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
  3. Adelaide Biobank, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia
  4. Pamela Saunders Consulting, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
  5. Justin Computers, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
  6. Cancer Genetics Laboratory, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
  7. Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Statement of the Problem

The Australasian biobanking landscape has grown rapidly in response to the increasing demand for high quality biospecimens. While inherently positive, rapid national growth has contributed to inconsistencies in practice and a fragmentation of the biobanking community resulting in redundant resource expenditure, inefficient use of existing collections and limitations on collaboration for biobankers and researchers alike. This is particularly problematic in disciplines where sample rarity and scarcity are enduring challenges and where collaborative working is essential to achieve critical mass or a multi-disciplinary focus. Likewise, with the increasing emphasis on ‘One Health’ approaches to research, the integration of agricultural, zoological, microbial, environmental and human biological collections is imperative. To achieve this, visibility of existing collections is paramount.

Proposed Solution

The Australasian Biospecimen Network Association (ABNA), following on from the foundational work of ABN-Oncology, is launching an expanded iteration of the TSL/National Biospecimen Locator. Inspired by existing infrastructure, such as that of BBMRI-ERIC, the Biospecimen Locator will be multi-disciplinary and provide a central source of information for sample custodians as well as academic and industrial researchers. Increasing usability and maximising research utility of catalogued samples, the platform will also include research services embedded within biobanking infrastructure such as sample processing, collection protocol development and clinical trial support. Extensive stakeholder engagement through the ABNA network is currently underway with the first upload of sample data intended for April 2022. A core focus is the recognition and inclusion of new collections from emerging research priorities and the integration of cross-disciplinary collections to maintain an emphasis on representation and diversity. Following a pilot phase there is scope for expansion through ABNA’s Australasian network and for integration with international colleagues and aligned platforms.

Conclusion

A concerted approach to promoting harmonisation and maximising biospecimen research utility can only be achieved through increased visibility and networking on a national scale. The National Biospecimen Locator will fulfil this unmet need while fostering collaboration between biobankers, academic research teams and industry partners – providing return on investment for all.