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An Integrative Approach Towards Sustainability of Biobanks

Chien-Te Fan*

Biobanks play a key role in modern biomedical research. However, operating a biobank often requires continuous commitment of a large amount of resources, raising the issue of how to sustain an operational biobank. Using the Taiwan Biobank as an example, an integrative approach is introduced in this commentary which may serve as a first step towards solving the sustainability issue of biobanks. Biobanks have become an indispensable infrastructure for translating biomedical research and health data into practical solutions in the field of precision medicine. Although the benefits to science and society are great, operating a biobank requires substantial resources and many biobanks are reliant on funding from private non-profit and public sources. Some biobanks have shut down because of insufficient funds, and the goal of “sustainable management” remains a critical challenge for biobanks around the world. Using the Taiwan Biobank as an example and taking the management of other biobanks worldwide into consideration, propose a four-pronged approach as a potential means towards ensuring biobank sustainability.