Beyond the Freezer: Why Biospecimen Quality Is Critical to the Future of Precision Oncology

Originally published on Biobanking.com.

By Inga Rose, Founder & CEO, Reference Medicine

As precision oncology advances toward increasingly targeted diagnostics and therapies, the demands placed on human biospecimens are becoming more complex.

A tissue sample that was sufficient for research a decade ago may no longer meet today’s requirements. Researchers increasingly need specimens with specific molecular characteristics, detailed clinical histories and documented collection and processing conditions. Even small inconsistencies in how a specimen is handled or characterized can influence downstream results.

Which poses the question: How does the industry need to shift to meet this challenge head-on?