Abstract: Biobanks are often imagined as engines of progress, quietly storing samples today to unlock cures tomorrow. But what happens when those samples never move? Drawing on ethnographic research from public biobanks in Spain and Germany, this study explores a less discussed reality: biological samples that remain preserved but unused. These “unfulfilled mobiles” challenge the assumption that storage automatically leads to scientific or clinical impact. For fields like diabetes research, where long-term cohorts and biospecimens are critical, this raises uncomfortable but necessary questions.
The paper shows that barriers are rarely scientific alone. Regulatory friction, ethical safeguards, bureaucratic standards, and mismatches between researchers’ needs and biobank practices can all slow or stop sample circulation. While public biobanks aim to serve “health for all,” including chronic conditions like diabetes, their commitment to equity and caution can paradoxically limit usability. The study reframes biobanks not as passive freezers, but as active social systems where governance, values, and infrastructure determine whether stored life ever translates into better care.
Read this full article here: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00141844.2025.2597762?src=#abstract