The Importance of Biobanks in Epigenetic Studies

In recent years, biobanks have emerged as vital research infrastructures with the aim of providing facilities, resources, and services to the scientific community in an open, transparent, and generous manner, enhancing excellence in biomedical research while guarding participants' rights and confidentiality. In this review, the authors present an overview of the general aspects of biobanking: from general operating procedures, ethical issues, and governance mechanisms to the importance of a robust information management system to track data. Moreover, the authors describe the importance of biobanks in epigenetic and epigenomic studies. In the context of human diseases, there is an increasing need to find new biomarkers to improve the accuracy of diagnosis, predict prognosis, and monitor the response to therapies. To overcome these needs, the scientific community must be provided with high-quality biological samples, along with associated data, in a manner that guarantees an individual's rights. In this framework, biobanks play a crucial role becoming the first step in the development of personalized medicine.