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Review
. 2020 Jul;24(4):206-13.
doi: 10.29252/ibj.24.4.206. Epub 2020 Feb 12.

The Significance of Biobanking in the Sustainability of Biomedical Research: A Review

Mahshid Zohouri  1 , Abbas Ghaderi  1
Affiliations
Review

The Significance of Biobanking in the Sustainability of Biomedical Research: A Review

Mahshid Zohouri et al. Iran Biomed J. 2020 Jul.

Abstract

Biobank, defined as a functional unit for facilitating and improving research by storing biospecimen and their accompanying data, is a key resource for advancement in life science. The history of biobanking goes back to the time of archiving pathology samples. Nowadays, biobanks have considerably improved and are classified into two categories: diseased-oriented and population-based biobanks. UK biobank as a population-based biobank with about half a million samples, Biobank Graz as one of the largest biobanks in terms of sample size, and The International Agency for Research on Cancer biobank as a specialized the World Health Organization cancer agency are few examples of successful biobanks worldwide. The present review provides a history of biobanking, and after presenting different biobanks, we discuss in detail the challenges in the field of biobanking and its future, as well. In the end, ICR biobank, as the first cancer biobank in Iran established in 1998, is thoroughly described.

Keywords: Biobank; Cancer; Iran; Personalized medicine.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
ICR biobank networking, including cancer diagnosis, medical procedure, specimen and data transfer, processing, storage, sharing, collaboration, and outcome
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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