Auckland Region Tissue Bank Choose OpenSpecimen to Manage Their Biospecimen Library

WARRIEWOOD, Australia - Sept. 23, 2019 - PRLog -- The Auckland Region Tissue Bank (ARTB) is a critical component in New Zealand's medical research infrastructure. As a central facility for storing blood and tissue samples, they have a library that could hold the secrets to unlocking cures for  chronic diseases and illnesses. Their samples are available to researchers from the University of Auckland as well as other collaborators.

Collections of samples for medical research are essential as they can be accessed at any time. Without a facility like ARTB and their 125,000 samples, collecting samples would be a time-consuming task for researchers and slows medical research. However, having the samples is just one part of the equation. The ability to access the right samples with specific clinical parameters to isolate specific strains, genetic traits or tissue types is of equal importance.

Phillip Shepherd, the Regional Tissue Bank Manager said, "When the University of Auckland created the ARTB and acquired the existing library of samples from Middlemore Hospital Tissue Bank, there was a need to unify the bioinformatics system and we were looking for a robust and structured system able to manage our biobank in a constructive way. We chose OpenSpecimen as the system was able to be customised to our specific needs and the developers, Krishagni were dedicated to biobanking and had a vast depth of experience that we could tap into".

Originally developed with funding from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), OpenSpecimen (https://www.axt.com.au/products/openspecimen/) has continued to evolve into a comprehensive open source bioinformatics platform. It is now used in over 65 biobanks around the world.

ARTB engaged with Krishagni right from the start of their journey. By involving them in their workflows and practices, Krishagni were more easily able to advise and customise OpenSpecimen to their requirements.

"The open source nature of OpenSpecimen allows us to make changes to the system  and not be locked into using the developer for every little change. There are still modifications that we get Krishagni involved with, and they are always very accommodating and responsive", said Mr Shepherd.

Alice Rykers, the ARTB's OpenSpecimen super user and Tissuebank Technician said of her experience with OpenSpecimen, "I really enjoy using it and have been thoroughly impressed with how it works. It gives us excellent visibility and the query module is a Godsend with its ability to quickly generate reports and display data."

While the ARTB's collection if tissue samples is strategically focussed on medical research areas such as blood cancers, cardiac, breast, sarcoma, melanoma and endometriosis, they are always open to collaborating with other research groups. This will no doubt see their library continue to grow and OpenSpecimen will be able to grow with them.

More information at http://www.axt.com.au