Pushing Biobank Standardisation

In cancer research, as with other areas of biomedical research, a major issue facing researchers is the great variation in the methods employed by different labs for collecting, storing and analysing biological samples. This affects the quality and comparability of research data, and can only be resolved by the widespread adoption of standardised and quality-controlled protocols. Such protocols in case-control, cohort and other epidemiological studies are required to facilitate the discovery and validation of relevant disease biomarkers and, ultimately, the development of diagnostics and therapeutics.

Initiatives at the national and international level to standardise and harmonise biobanking practices have already begun. In Europe, the European Commission and the Wellcome Trust organised a conference in 2005 to discuss the current state of biobanks in Europe and to propose future strategies, including greater harmonisation of programmes and standards and greater standardisation of protocols. Proposals will be submitted to the 7th Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (FP7), an EU programme with a budget of over ˆ50 billion to fund trans-European research.