Abstract
Biorepositories in Africa need significant infrastructural support to meet International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories (ISBER) Best Practices to support population-based genomics research. ISBER recommends a biorepository information management system which can manage workflows from biospecimen receipt to distribution. The H3Africa Initiative set out to develop regional African biorepositories where Uganda, Nigeria, and South Africa were successfully awarded grants to develop the state-of-the-art biorepositories. The biorepositories carried out an elaborate process to evaluate and choose a laboratory information management system (LIMS) with the aim of integrating the three geographically distinct sites. In this article, we review the processes, African experience, lessons learned, and make recommendations for choosing a biorepository LIMS in the African context.
Highlights
Abiorepository requires the linkage of high-quality material to data housed in a laboratory information management system (LIMS), which tracks each sample
To facilitate international access to biospecimens, it was desirable that the biorepositories set up an interoperable LIMS for data integration and exchange
The Institute of Human Virology Nigerian–H3Africa Biorepository (I-HAB) in Nigeria decided to upgrade the current LIMS with the latest software updates from the vendor
Summary
Abiorepository requires the linkage of high-quality material to data housed in a laboratory information management system (LIMS), which tracks each sample. A founding principle of H3Africa is to make sure that DNA (and possibly other biological material) would be properly stored in biorepositories for future research purposes.[1,2] The value of this material is partly determined by the associated phenotypic data. Repositories (ISBER) Best Practices, a computer-based inventory system is necessary to track the location and annotation of every specimen in the biorepository.[3] The system should track significant events during a sample’s existence from collection to destruction, including sample thaws, receipt and/or processing delays, processing, transfer of the sample within the repository, specimen distribution and return, and destruction.[3,4,5] These ISBER
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
