Onkológia 2/2023

Potential effects of systemic biobanking in Slovakia

Biomedical and clinical research play an important role in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of serious human diseases, thus improving the quality of life and our society. In this paper, we analyze the position of Slovakia as an innovator with special focus on funding for medical research and development (R&D) at the national and EU level financed by the European Research Council (ERC), number of granted scientific publications, and active clinical trials. Clinical research in Slovakia is currently dominated by commercial research when compared to the number of academic clinical trials. Standardized biobanking is a key pre-requisite for high-quality biomedical and clinical research applications within a given infrastructure. In addition, a systemic biobanking platform requires the professional coordination and connection of institutions storing biological samples and related data thereof with stakeholders participating in the implementation of diverse research activities. The establishment of such platform is the goal of the currently ongoing „BIOFORD“ and „DIGIBIOBANK“ projects, financed by the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF), wherein a number of leading academic institutions and healthcare providers cooperate with governmental state administration. Furthermore, we present potential societal impacts in the context of systemic biobanking, which will ultimately benefit our R&D ecosystem, scientific productivity, education, quality of healthcare and strengthening the knowledge-based economy. Critical factors that may threaten the achievement of the identified positive effects are discussed in the absence or improper systemic biobank funding for medical and related interdisciplinary programs.

Keywords: biomedical research, oncology research, clinical trials, biobanking, societal benefits