Attach1_BEMT Invite Letter_16JAN2014

Dear Colleagues,

Thank you for your interest in this important survey.

One of the great challenges in biobanking today is the lack of reliable information about the costs involved in initiating, operating and maintaining a biorepository resource. Such information is essential to understanding and promoting the value proposition for biobanking. The United States National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute’s Biorepositories and Biospecimen Research Branch (BBRB) is involved in ongoing studies and projects to increase understanding of the economic considerations involved in biobanking.

BBRB is conducting a survey that will collect specific information about biobanking costs, with the ultimate goal to enable sharing of such information across biospecimen resources. You have been identified as a key stakeholder who can provide BBRB and the biobanking community with valuable insight about cost recovery and the economic challenges involved in operating biospecimen resources. This information will assist in developing an interactive biobank cost modeling tool to be hosted on the BBRB web site. Therefore, we sincerely welcome your insight and invite you to complete this survey, being conducted by Provia Laboratories, LLC under contract from Leidos Biomedical on behalf of BBRB.

This Biobank Economic Modeling Tool (BEMT) is expected to be publicly available in 2014. The tool will be designed to assist your biobank and biobanks all around the world with searchable information about biobanking infrastructure costs, funding requirements, and specimen and service costing and pricing.

The survey includes detailed questions about cost and pricing considerations relevant to operating and managing a biobank. Your time and thoughtfulness in completing the survey is greatly appreciated. Please note that your name and any other identifying information that you enter regarding your biobank will be removed from the aggregated data used to develop the online Biobank Economic Modeling Tool.

It is important that we receive your survey responses no later than “date pending.” You may access the survey at the following URL: https: //www.surveymonkey.com/s/ZVPLYMS. Survey instructions and further information may be referenced online at this webpage; the instructions are also attached to this email for your convenience. Please note that one of the project team members may contact you after your completion of the survey In order to clarify some aspects of your responses.

On behalf of the entire BBRB and BEMT project team, we thank you in advance for your participation in this survey. Your thoughtful and complete responses will enable the building of a knowledge base in biobanking economics from which the entire biobanking community will benefit. Please feel free to contact Lisa Miranda by email at lisabmiranda@provialabs.com with any questions.

Sincerely,

Helen M. Moore, Ph.D.

Acting Branch Chief, Biorepositories and Biospecimen Research Branch Cancer Diagnosis Program, Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis United States National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health