In the current era of individualized medicine, a biorepository of human samples is essential to support clinical and translational research. There have been limited efforts in this arena within the field of urology, as costs, logistical, and ethical issues represent significant deterrents to biobanking. The Johns Hopkins Brady Urological Institute (JHBUI) Biorepository was founded in 1994 as a resource to facilitate discovery. Since its inception, the biorepository has enabled numerous research endeavors including pivotal trials leading to the regulatory approval of four diagnostic tests for prostate cancer. In this review, we discuss the current state of biobanking within urology, outline the specific ethical and financial challenges of biobanking as well as solutions, and describe the operations of a successful urologic biorepository. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
BJU international. 2016 Jul 28 [Epub ahead of print]
Heather J Chalfin, Elizabeth Fabian, Leslie Mangold, David B Yeater, Kenneth J Pienta, Alan W Partin
James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, Maryland., James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, Maryland., James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, Maryland., James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, Maryland., James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, Maryland., James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, Maryland.