Managing 7 Million Specimens Across Continents: The Scale of Indiana University’s Genetics Biobank
Indiana University (IU) manages a large academic biobank that supports over 550 studies across the U.S., Israel, and Italy, with more than 7 million specimens. As research scaled, IU’s legacy system—OnCore BSM—struggled with manual workflows, data silos, and inefficiencies, which slowed progress and risked data quality. To overcome these challenges, IU launched a transformation initiative to enhance data accuracy, streamline operations, and enable seamless global collaboration.
Key Outcomes
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- ✅ 50-70% reduction in manual data entry via batch processing.
- ✅ 7M+ specimens & 50M+ metadata rows migrated with minimal downtime.
- ✅ End-to-end collection kit tracking for large multi-site studies.
- ✅ Seamless multi-site collaboration with role-based access and audit compliance.
- ✅ Automated freezer integration with Hamilton BiOS.
- ✅ Smooth transition to OpenSpecimen (go-live), ensuring minimal disruption.
Legacy System Challenges: Six Operational Risks Hindering Research Progress
Before implementing OpenSpecimen, IU’s biobank encountered several operational barriers:
- ⚠️ Manual Data Entry: Technicians had to enter data, one specimen at a time, with no bulk/ batch processing capability, which is error-prone and time-consuming.
- ⚠️ Rigid Workflows: The system did not allow for flexible configuration, forcing researchers to adjust protocols to fit the technology’s limitations.
- ⚠️ Workarounds Introducing Data Quality Risks: Dummy participants were created in the system to enable specimen kit tracking, introducing unnecessary data clutter and complicating reporting.
- ⚠️ Limited Integration Capabilities: OnCore BSM operated in isolation, requiring duplicate data entry across systems and increasing administrative workload.
- ⚠️ Restricted Collaboration Across Sites: Rigid access controls prevented smooth information sharing between global teams, limiting research coordination.
- ⚠️ Inadequate Audit Trails: The system’s weak audit capabilities made compliance management difficult and increased operational risk during regulatory reviews.
These challenges collectively strained research operations, impacting both the pace and quality of scientific output.
Why Indiana University Chose OpenSpecimen?
Indiana University selected OpenSpecimen after a comprehensive evaluation process, focusing on platforms that could address existing inefficiencies and support long-term research growth. The key factors influencing the decision included:
- ✔️ Scalable Data Management: OpenSpecimen’s architecture could accommodate IU’s growing specimen collection while remaining adaptable to diverse research workflows.
- ✔️ Robust System Integrations: The platform’s APIs enabled seamless data exchange with OnCore and Hamilton BiOS, ensuring synchronized and consistent records.
- ✔️ Standardized Workflow Automation: Support for SOP-driven workflows helped embed operational consistency and compliance across all sites.
- ✔️ Open-Source Flexibility: OpenSpecimen provided enterprise-grade functionality without the financial and customization limitations of proprietary systems.
- ✔️ Secure Global Collaboration: Advanced role-based access control allowed distributed research teams to collaborate efficiently while maintaining strict data governance.
- ✔️ Focused, Responsive Product Support: Being a sole product for the Krishagni team, OpenSpecimen benefits from rapid enhancements, bug fixes, introduction of new features, and long-term product stability, building confidence in sustained partnership.
The selection of OpenSpecimen positioned IU to modernise operations without sacrificing research agility or future scalability.
Implementation Strategy: Executing a 7 Million+ Specimen Migration
The OpenSpecimen rollout at IU followed a phased, low-disruption strategy that prioritised data integrity and operational continuity:
- 📌 Custom Data Migration: Utilising tailored ETL scripts, the OpenSpecimen team successfully migrated over 7 million specimens and 50 million metadata records with minimal downtime. OpenSpecimen’s export-modify-import capability enabled the team to address minor inconsistencies after migration, rather than prolonging pre-migration preparation.
- 📌 Workflow Optimisation: Bulk specimen registration reduced manual data entry time by 50–70%. Kit tracking processes were redesigned to eliminate dummy participants, improving data quality and simplifying audits.
- 📌 Integrated Ecosystem Creation: OpenSpecimen was integrated with OnCore to enable real-time updates of clinical trial data and with Hamilton BiOS to automate specimen storage and retrieval. This eliminated redundant data entry and reduced the risk of human error.
- 📌 Structured Training and Rollout: IU implemented a comprehensive training program to support both system administrators and research staff, ensuring rapid adoption and implementation. The rollout introduced core functionality first, followed by advanced features in a structured timeline.
- 📌 Rapid Stabilisation: Post migration, movement, and data cleanup are key challenges. Within four months of launch, the Krishagni team went the extra mile to support these activities with minimal disruption.
The deliberate focus on strategic migration and phased deployment allowed IU to modernise its biobank infrastructure without interrupting ongoing research activities.
Post-Implementation Outcomes: Accelerating Research Through Operational Excellence
The impact of the OpenSpecimen deployment at Indiana University has been significant across key operational dimensions:
- 📈 Efficiency Gains: Bulk processing workflows reduced manual data handling by 50–70%, allowing research staff to reallocate time toward analytical and experimental activities.
- 📈 Improved Data Integrity: Structured entry protocols and the elimination of workaround practices enhanced data reliability, supporting more accurate research outputs.
- 📈 Full-System Synchronisation: Real-time integration between OpenSpecimen, OnCore, and Hamilton BiOS improved information consistency and accelerated specimen tracking processes.
- 📈 Enhanced Global Collaboration: Researchers across global sites now collaborate through secure, role-based data access, increasing project efficiency and data sharing confidence.
- 📈 Strengthened Audit Compliance: Comprehensive audit trails and standardised processes simplified regulatory reporting and reduced compliance risk.
- 📈 Optimised Storage Management: Integration with Hamilton BiOS robotic freezers improved storage utilisation and reduced manual intervention during specimen retrieval.
Indiana University’s biobank is now positioned to support larger, more complex research programs while maintaining operational discipline and scalability.
Future Development Roadmap: Strengthening the Foundation for Long-Term Growth
Building on the successful transformation, IU is focused on three key initiatives to enhance biobank operations further:
- ➡️ Database Performance Enhancements: Tuning database structures to maintain high system responsiveness as specimen counts increase.
- ➡️ Dedicated Reporting Instances: Developing specialized reporting environments to deliver real-time operational insights and improve decision-making.
- ➡️ Expanded Feature Adoption: Rolling out additional OpenSpecimen modules to streamline workflows and support a broader range of research use cases.
These forward-looking initiatives will enable IU to continue leading in biobank management innovation.