Opportunities for promoting open data in the Caribbean through biobanks
The establishment of a biobank in the Caribbean represents a vital opportunity to enhance biomedical research and tackle health issues in the area. The Caribbean’s unique genetic diversity, shaped by migration and environmental factors, underscores a well-managed biobank’s potential impact on global...
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| Format: | Article |
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Pan American Health Organization
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública |
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| Online Access: | https://iris.paho.org/handle/10665.2/64455 |
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| author | Sushant Saluja Simon G. Anderson |
| author_facet | Sushant Saluja Simon G. Anderson |
| author_sort | Sushant Saluja |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The establishment of a biobank in the Caribbean represents a vital opportunity to enhance biomedical research and tackle health issues in the area. The Caribbean’s unique genetic diversity, shaped by migration and environmental factors, underscores a well-managed biobank’s potential impact on global health, especially for underrepresented groups. This paper examines biobanking’s potential in the Caribbean, focusing on precision medicine, public health improvements and regional scientific self-sufficiency. It analyzes successful models such as the UK Biobank, the All of Us Research Program at the United States’ National Institutes of Health, and Human Heredity and Health in Africa (known as H3Africa), hosted at the University of Cape Town, pinpointing key lessons on data-sharing, ethical governance and infrastructure that could be applied to the Caribbean context. The UK Biobank and H3Africa are relevant examples due to their contributions to large-scale data and health research in diverse populations. The UK Biobank project is a large-scale study with deep genetic and phenotypic data from about 500 000 participants in the United Kingdom. It offers unprecedented insights into health data through extensive follow up and collection of genome-wide genotype data. H3Africa focuses on genomics research that addresses health disparities among African populations, which parallels the Caribbean’s challenges. Its ethical governance and community engagement focus are crucial for Caribbean biobank development. This article highlights the challenges of developing biobanks, including ensuring sufficient sample storage and data security, and the need for strong governance. It recommends solutions that involve regional collaboration, stakeholder engagement and increased investment in infrastructure. Establishing a Caribbean biobank with equitable data-sharing principles can significantly enhance global genomic data sets and ensure that the benefits of precision medicine reach the Caribbean. This study promotes a strategic, ethical and inclusive approach to biobanking for long-term success. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-af0ed5c9cf074488b7be5dffa52cdcd9 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1020-4989 1680-5348 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Pan American Health Organization |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública |
| spelling | doaj-art-af0ed5c9cf074488b7be5dffa52cdcd92025-02-11T14:07:08ZengPan American Health OrganizationRevista Panamericana de Salud Pública1020-49891680-53482025-02-014921910.26633/RPSP.2025.11rpspOpportunities for promoting open data in the Caribbean through biobanksSushant Saluja0Simon G. Anderson1Division of Cardiovascular Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, United KingdomGeorge Alleyne Chronic Disease Research Centre, Caribbean Institute for Health Research, The University of the West Indies at Cave Hill, Bridgetown, Saint Michael, BarbadosThe establishment of a biobank in the Caribbean represents a vital opportunity to enhance biomedical research and tackle health issues in the area. The Caribbean’s unique genetic diversity, shaped by migration and environmental factors, underscores a well-managed biobank’s potential impact on global health, especially for underrepresented groups. This paper examines biobanking’s potential in the Caribbean, focusing on precision medicine, public health improvements and regional scientific self-sufficiency. It analyzes successful models such as the UK Biobank, the All of Us Research Program at the United States’ National Institutes of Health, and Human Heredity and Health in Africa (known as H3Africa), hosted at the University of Cape Town, pinpointing key lessons on data-sharing, ethical governance and infrastructure that could be applied to the Caribbean context. The UK Biobank and H3Africa are relevant examples due to their contributions to large-scale data and health research in diverse populations. The UK Biobank project is a large-scale study with deep genetic and phenotypic data from about 500 000 participants in the United Kingdom. It offers unprecedented insights into health data through extensive follow up and collection of genome-wide genotype data. H3Africa focuses on genomics research that addresses health disparities among African populations, which parallels the Caribbean’s challenges. Its ethical governance and community engagement focus are crucial for Caribbean biobank development. This article highlights the challenges of developing biobanks, including ensuring sufficient sample storage and data security, and the need for strong governance. It recommends solutions that involve regional collaboration, stakeholder engagement and increased investment in infrastructure. Establishing a Caribbean biobank with equitable data-sharing principles can significantly enhance global genomic data sets and ensure that the benefits of precision medicine reach the Caribbean. This study promotes a strategic, ethical and inclusive approach to biobanking for long-term success.https://iris.paho.org/handle/10665.2/64455biobanksprecision medicinehealth policy |
| spellingShingle | Sushant Saluja Simon G. Anderson Opportunities for promoting open data in the Caribbean through biobanks Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública biobanks precision medicine health policy |
| title | Opportunities for promoting open data in the Caribbean through biobanks |
| title_full | Opportunities for promoting open data in the Caribbean through biobanks |
| title_fullStr | Opportunities for promoting open data in the Caribbean through biobanks |
| title_full_unstemmed | Opportunities for promoting open data in the Caribbean through biobanks |
| title_short | Opportunities for promoting open data in the Caribbean through biobanks |
| title_sort | opportunities for promoting open data in the caribbean through biobanks |
| topic | biobanks precision medicine health policy |
| url | https://iris.paho.org/handle/10665.2/64455 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT sushantsaluja opportunitiesforpromotingopendatainthecaribbeanthroughbiobanks AT simonganderson opportunitiesforpromotingopendatainthecaribbeanthroughbiobanks |