Table 2.

Characteristics of Different Biobank Collection Types

	Description	Cost	Appropriate for general use
Individual	Clinicians with access to specimens set aside “unused” samples for future research not yet specified	Low	Low Often not processed under standardized conditions Often not well annotated Not publicized, and therefore difficult to access
Specific projects	Specific research project with defined needs (and often a budget) for samples	Moderate	Moderate to low Likely collected under conditions appropriate for the defined project. Amount of sample may be limited. Collections not usually publicized, so difficult to access
Grant programs	Programs like SPORES, Cancer Centers, Clinical trials networks and Centers of Excellence collect samples for both defined projects and some anticipated future projects not yet specified	Moderate to high	Moderate For those collections that include support for undefined future projects, these samples may be useful. The collections are publicized within their grant programs, but variably outside that circle. Access procedures vary.
Formal public repository	Repository created to collect samples for numerous projects, including future projects not yet specified. Such repositories often have a specific theme (e.g., disease genetics).	High	Moderate to High Samples collected with best practices and under standardized conditions, well-defined storage conditions, well annotated, well publicized with defined access procedures, sample types may limit application to specific research type (e.g., blood only); may include restrictions on access (e.g., limited to researchers in a specific country).