Dave Mulvihill, Director Informatics, Washington University (WU) Tissue Procurement Core, presented how they use OpenSpecimen’s “Project Tracker” module to streamline biobank “Projects & Requests” – eliminating cumbersome Excels and relying on emails. Washington University is one of the oldest and largest adopters of OpenSpecimen. At WU, OpenSpecimen is used by 100+ users across ~50 research […]
Introduction COVID-19 has infected more than 110 million individuals worldwide, with about 2.5 million deaths. It is very crucial to find an intervention that successfully prevents or mitigates morbidity and mortality. Biospecimen research can provide novel insights into the disease, clinical trials, and the development of effective and life-saving treatments. However, any such study raises […]
As research into genetic causes of disease began to grow, Le Bonheur Pediatrician-in- Chief Jon McCullers, MD, knew it was time to start building a pediatric DNA biorepository. So in 2015, Le Bonheur’s Children’s Foundation Research Institute (CFRI) created the Biorepository and Integrative Genomics (BIG) Initiative and began collecting DNA samples from hospitalized children at […]
In this episode of “Biobanking Conversations”, Srikanth Adiga (CEO, OpenSpecimen) talks to Dave Mulvihill and Lee Myrick from Washington University’s “OpenSpecimen Implementation Team” to understand their internal processes, training mechanisms, & best practices. Washington University is one of the oldest and largest adopters of OpenSpecimen. At WU, OpenSpecimen is used by 100+ users across ~50 […]
Vets across the UK are being asked to help develop a national equine grass sickness (EGS) sample biobank and database. The Moredun Foundation Equine Grass Sickness Fund has launched a three-year fellowship to help develop multidisciplinary approaches to EGS research. More than 100 years after the disease was first characterized in working farm horses, the […]
The University of Saskatchewan has been awarded $6.76 million from the Canada Foundation for Innovation to help conserve bison and other threatened animal species and address challenges facing the beef cattle industry, including antimicrobial resistance which poses a global threat to animals and humans. The wide-ranging research program, made possible through the CFI Innovation Fund, […]
Well-annotated, high-quality biorepositories provide a valuable platform to support translational research. However, most biorepositories have poor representation of minority groups, limiting the ability to address health disparities. This paper describes the establishment of the Florida Pancreas Collaborative (FPC), the first state-wide prospective cohort study and biorepository designed to address the higher burden of pancreatic cancer […]
The United States has announced that it will spend big on research into ‘long COVID’ — the long-lasting health effects of a SARS-CoV-2 infection. The National Institutes of Health will fund researchers to track people’s recovery and will host a biospecimen bank. Symptoms of long COVID are wide-ranging and include fatigue, fevers, and shortness of breath, as well […]
Biobanks are acknowledged as a remarkable tool for research and scientific purposes. There are several types of biobanks, and two primary subtypes are – disease-oriented and population-based. The requirements for the establishment, obtainment, and use of samples in these two different types of biobanks are very diverse. In disease-oriented biobanks, samples are collected from patients […]
The University of Cape Town adopts OpenSpecimen as their Biobanking LIMS to manage COVID specimens. This project is funded by Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND) a Geneva-based NGO accelerating the development, evaluation, and delivery of high-quality, affordable diagnostic tests for poverty-related diseases. UCT will integrate OpenSpecimen with OpenClinica to pull participant and specimen data. Read how FIND is […]
