How Biobanks Are Changing The Face Of Medical Research

Science is a slow process that requires vast amounts of data in order to come to even the most provisional conclusions. That's why it often takes years just to gather all of the samples that they need in order to conduct any number of experiments. However, thanks to the introduction of biobanks, medical research has a chance to make huge strides in experimental knowledge that they couldn't have before.

Biobanks are repositories for biological information, usually human. They collect tiny samples that represent huge amounts of data to be used in medical research. Starting in the 1990s, biobanks have been slowly gathering new information to widen the possible options that scientists have when they are looking for specific traits. Before, it required painstaking amounts of work in order to find donors who had, for example, hemophilia and were also black women from rural areas. Now that sort of information can be looked up at the biobank, the correct samples collected, and then transported to the lab where they will be able to contribute to research.

There are a number of different types of biobank to consider. Each one has a specific function and each adds in some way to the research of human life or the preservation of it in some fashion.

Virtual biobanks are a fairly new, but highly innovative solution to both limited samples and the danger inherent in letting others access them. Essentially, instead of providing physical tissue, blood, urine, etc., painstaking research is done on the samples and high quality images are taken of them in a variety of ways, and then the virtual data can be accessed remotely. Often having the data is more important than having access to the physical sample, especially in the early phases of most experiments, and this cuts down on lab time and costs significantly, freeing up funds for more advanced studies.

Tissue banks, on the other hand, are designed instead to collect and store cadaver tissue for research and transplantation. They have made incredible strides in cryogenic storage techniques, making it easier to retain viable samples for longer periods, especially of rare conditions. It also makes preserving organs for transplant much easier, cutting down on the pressure generally involved in getting to a patient in time.

Population banks are a fairly new phenomenon. Rather than just focus on the tissue itself, they make sure to collect data on environmental factors, lifestyle characteristics, and other potentially relevant outside issues, limiting the amount of time that scientists need to replicate the outcomes from those. In many ways, it preserves a field study in a controlled environment.

The expansion of biobanks and the continued addition of new samples from varied sources means that our potential pool of data continues to grow on a daily basis. As new and innovative ways of providing access to those data increase as well, we will start to find that scientists will have almost unlimited access to viable samples whenever they need them, cutting down on human error and the need to continually search out the circumstances that fit their hypothesis.

Biobanks were a good idea in the 1990s, and the investment in them is paying off in spades now. As they continue to make medical research easier, we will continue to see more effective and more rapid advancements in medical technology and technique, ultimately saving more lives and leading to a healthier society.

Editor's Note: Charles Benson has worked as a material transfer specialist for the past 4 years and has a strong passion for biological sciences. Charles is a regular reader of http://www.biology-blog.com/ and highly recommends other enthusiasts to pay them a visit.

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