Biobank sustainability: current status and future prospects

Biobanks play an important role in biomedical research that aims to understand cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the development of diseases, and to improve interventions for human health. Despite financial support from mixed public funding streams, long-term sustainability of public biobanks remains a major concern. Review of the literature demonstrates that total cost-recovery strategies, as well as commercialization of research results or derived products, may not represent the best way to reach and maintain sustainability. Public biobanks require support by long-term investment and commitment from public and governmental sources, as well as support from industrial users. In this regard, this study suggests strategies to improve long-term sustainability, such as sample-sharing and biobank consolidation to reduce unit costs, embedding public biobanks in health care systems, and working to implement global funding mechanisms.