The Biobank Economic Modeling Tool (BEMT): Online Financial Planning to Facilitate Biobank Sustainability

Abstract

Background: Biospecimens are essential resources for advancing basic and translational research. However, there are little data available regarding the costs associated with operating a biobank, and few resources to enable their long-term sustainability. To support the research community in this effort, the National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute's Biorepositories and Biospecimen Research Branch has developed the Biobank Economic Modeling Tool (BEMT). The tool is accessible at http://biospecimens.cancer.gov/resources/bemt.asp.

Methods: To obtain market-based cost information and to inform the development of the tool, a survey was designed and sent to 423 biobank managers and directors across the world. The survey contained questions regarding infrastructure investments, salary costs, funding options, types of biospecimen resources and services offered, as well as biospecimen pricing and service-related costs.

Results: A total of 106 responses were received. The data were anonymized, aggregated, and used to create a comprehensive database of cost and pricing information that was integrated into the web-based tool, the BEMT. The BEMT was built to allow the user to input cost and pricing data through a seven-step process to build a cost profile for their biobank, define direct and indirect costs, determine cost recovery fees, perform financial forecasting, and query the anonymized survey data from comparable biobanks.

Conclusion: A survey was conducted to obtain a greater understanding of the costs involved in operating a biobank. The anonymized survey data was then used to develop the BEMT, a cost modeling tool for biobanks. Users of the tool will be able to create a cost profile for their biobanks' specimens, products and services, establish pricing, and allocate costs for biospecimens based on percent cost recovered, and perform project-specific cost analyses and financial forecasting.

FIG. 1.

Results reported by the respondents of the BEMT survey. The survey was designed to gain a greater understanding of the economic considerations involved in initiating, operating, and maintaining a human biobank. (A) Percent distribution of funding sources brought in annually. (B) Percent of time respondents spend performing biobank related activities. (C) Percent of revenue sources obtained annually for the respondent's biobank operation. (D) Percent of respondents practicing cost recovery and reported costs recovered.

FIG. 2.

BEMT workflow schematic: Four modules that comprise the BEMT and the stepwise considerations associated with each module.

FIG. 3.

The Biobank Dashboard provides an at-a-glance view of the biobank profiles created in the BEMT system. The screenshot depicts two different biobanks that the user has created and operates. The user can then proceed to enter specific data for each category shown.

FIG. 4.

Market data query tool. BEMT users can query and browse the anonymized survey data by institution type, country, and years of operation.

FIG. 5.

My Biobank Labor (module 1). BEMT users can enter specific data for labor categories, their associated salaries, and fringe benefits in the MyBiobank Labor module.

FIG. 6.

My Biobank Specimens, Products and Services (module 2). Users of the BEMT can enter specific data related to the biospecimens, products, and services the user's biobank offers. In this example, the user has entered data related to a specific biospecimen type. The user can go on to enter specific cost information to build a cost profile and define unit costs to guide cost recovery decisions.