Assessing the financial, operational, and social sustainability of a biobank: the Wales Cancer Bank case study.

Biobank sustainability is a multi-faceted concept that many biobanks are wrestling with to justify their continued existence. After 10 years of operation, the Wales Cancer Bank is faced with a potential reduction in grant funding that will result in the need for a restructured approach to patient consenting, sample collection, and sample issue. A review is currently in progress, using evidence from the last 12 months, to inform the decisions that will be taken at the end of 2014 regarding the biobank's future. The information presented details the areas under consideration for revision with the perceived costs and benefits associated with the amendment. Not all outcomes are currently known, and some decisions will be made once the level of future funding is confirmed. The process of assessment has proved to be a valuable exercise and has highlighted the need for biobanks to regularly evaluate strategic principles and operating procedures using sustainability as a denominator.