Identification and Assessment of Risks in Biobanking: The Case of the Cancer Institute of Bari

Abstract

Although research biobanks are among the most promising tools to fight disease and improve public health, there are a range of risks biobanks may face that mainly need to be assessed in an attempt to be relieved. We conducted a strategic insurance review of an institutional cancer biobank with the aim of both identifying the insurable risks of our own Biobank and gathering useful evidence of primary exposure to insurable risks. In this practical scenario, risks have been outlined and categorized into inherent and residual risks, along with their possible impact on biobank maintenance. Results at the Biobank of the Cancer Institute of Bari showed evidence of potentially significant and intrinsic risk due to highly relevant threats, along with already implemented improvements that significantly reduce risks to a range of relative acceptability.

A leap of faith: building the trust in human biobanks

“…However, the discussion about the risk-benefit ratio related to this has lagged behind ( Rychnovská, 2021 ). There is also limited discussion about the risk assessment associated with collecting large-scale medical and health data, and the few existing discussions focus on the standardized assessment and management of general risks ( De Palma et al, 2022 ). Moreover, despite the objective character of risks, they assume a distinctly subjective dimension when perceived by individuals.…”