Podcasts and Media
2019
Biobanking: A Thing Of The Past?
Andrew Brooks, PhD, COO, RUCDR Infinite Biologics; Professor, Genetics, Rutgers University
Ten years ago, Andrew Brooks, spoke with Conference Producer Mary Ann Brown about the real need for biobanks to continuously adapt if they want to fulfill both the science and business of their enterprise. A decade later, Brooks sees improvements in the
sheer volume of samples, though a lack of harmonization across biobanks remains an issue. On behalf of Bio-IT World, Brown followed up with Brooks, discussing the differences between biobanks and biorepositories, the rapid changes direct to consumer
applications are bringing to research biobanks, and whether or not traditional biobanks are a thing of the past.
View the Interview
2017
Podcasts
Biobank Sustainability, Process Streamlining and the Upstream Impact of Clinical Care
Kerry R. Wiles, Program Director, Cooperative Human Tissue Network and Vanderbilt University Medical Center Tissue Repository, Vanderbilt University
Kerry R. Wiles of Vanderbilt University speaks to Cambridge Healthtech Institute on July 11, 2017. Her institution will be co-hosting and she herself will be a presenter and short course instructor during the Leaders in Biobanking Congress, October
25-27 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Topics Include: Building the Cooperative Human Tissue Network with Lean Six Sigma principles to improve processes, how shifts in clinical care and surgical care affect biorepositories and scientists, and what it takes to sustain a biobank.
A Donor Family’s Perspective: Observations on the Post-Mortem Tissue Donation Process for Biospecimen Research
Sarah Gray, Director, Communications, American Association of Tissue Banks and Author, A Life Everlasting: The Extraordinary Story of One Boy’s Gift to Medical Science
Sarah Gray of the American Association of Tissue Banks speaks to Cambridge Healthtech Institute on July 7, 2017. She will be a presenter and short course instructor during the Leaders in Biobanking Congress, October 25-27 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Topics Include: Expectations about the process of donating post-mortem tissue for biospecimen research, possible process improvements to better serve patients, and connecting researchers with donor families to build biobank credibility
and enable public support of biospecimen donation for biomedical research.
Book
A Life Everlasting: The Extraordinary Story of One Boy’s Gift to Medical Science (HarperCollins, 2016)
Sarah Gray, Director, Communications, American Association of Tissue Banks and Author, A Life Everlasting: The Extraordinary Story of One Boy’s Gift to Medical Science
When Sarah Gray received the devastating news that her unborn twin son Thomas was diagnosed with anencephaly, a terminal condition that meant he would not survive long beyond birth, she decided she wanted his death—and life—to have meaning.
In the weeks before she gave birth to her sons in 2010, she arranged to donate Thomas’s organs to medical research. Later curious about how the donations were being used, Sarah embarked on a quest for those answers that took her to some of the
most prestigious scientific facilities in the country, including those at Harvard, Duke, and the University of Pennsylvania. Pulling back the curtain of protocol and confidentiality, Sarah met the researchers and scientists who received Thomas’s
donations, and learned how they’re being used in cutting-edge research for medical discoveries to benefit humanity.
Video
TED Talk of the Day (2015): How My Son’s Short Life Made a Lasting Difference
Sarah Gray, Director, Communications, American Association of Tissue Banks and Author, A Life Everlasting: The Extraordinary Story of One Boy’s Gift to Medical Science
Sarah Gray found meaning in tragic loss by donating the organs of her newborn son to advance scientific research.
2016
Podcasts
Biobanking Quality Control and Centralization & Biospecimen Collection for Genomic Research
with Andrew Brooks, Ph.D., CSO, BioProcessing Solutions Alliance; Associate Professor, Genetics, Rutgers University
Andrew Brooks of BioProcessing Solutions Alliance and Rutgers University speaks to Cambridge Healthtech Institute on August 3, 2016. Dr. Brooks will be presenting at the Leaders in Biobanking Congress, September 7-9 in Baltimore, Maryland.
Topics Include: the evolution of biobanking quality control and standardization resources, goals and activities at Rutgers, challenges in biospecimen collection and storage for genomic research and clinical application, and harmonized
biobanking to support precision medicine initiatives across multiple applications.
Sample Preprocessing, Circulating Nucleic Acids, Cancer Biomarkers, and Clinical Data
with Anton Wellstein, M.D., Ph.D., Professor, Oncology, Pharmacology and Medicine; Associate Director, Basic Science, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University Medical School
Anton Wellstein of Georgetown University Medical School speaks to Cambridge Healthtech Institute on August 1, 2016. He will be a presenter at the Leaders in Biobanking Congress, September 7-9 in Baltimore, MD.
Topics Include: the importance of pre-analytical processing of samples, circulating nucleic acids in cancer treatment monitoring, and persistent challenges when linking cancer molecular markers with clinical information.
Video
TED@Intel Talk (2013): Health Care Should Be a Team Sport
Eric Dishman, Director, Precision Medicine Initiative Cohort Program, National Institutes of Health
2015
Podcasts
Michael Roehrl of the UHN Program in BioSpecimen Sciences and Anthony Joshua of Princess Margaret Cancer Centre speak to CHI on June 2, 2015. Drs. Roehrl and Joshua will be co-presenting a Case Study of their biobanker/biouser partnership at the
Leaders in Biobanking Congress, July 14-16 in Toronto, Canada.
Topics include: the Rapid Autopsy Program of Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, the mutual influence of lab research and clinical practice work, biospecimen management and collection of robust data, patient contributions to cancer research and understanding cancer therapy resistance.
Suzanne Vercauteren of BC Children’s Hospital and University of British Columbia speaks to CHI on May 20, 2015. Dr. Vercauteren will be a presenter at the Leaders in Biobanking Congress, July 14-16 in Toronto, Canada.
Topics include: biospecimen collection and storage of clinical data at the BCCH BioBank, practices for ensuring biobank sustainability, ethical and operational considerations of planning an institutional biobank for children and
women, and the importance of public engagement.
Speaker Interview
Pathology, Patient Biospecimens and Disease Processes
Sylvia L. Asa, M.D., Ph.D., Laboratory Medicine Program, University Health Network; Senior Scientist, Ontario Cancer Institute; Professor, Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology, University of Toronto