title: The Biobank Economic Modeling Tool (BEMT): Online Financial Planning to Facilitate Biobank Sustainability.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Biospecimens are essential resources for advancing basic and translational research. However, there are little data available regarding the costs associated with operating a biobank, and few resources to enable their long-term sustainability. To support the research community in this effort, the National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute's Biorepositories and Biospecimen Research Branch has developed the Biobank Economic Modeling Tool (BEMT). The tool is accessible at http://biospecimens.cancer.gov/resources/bemt.asp.
  
  
  METHODS
  To obtain market-based cost information and to inform the development of the tool, a survey was designed and sent to 423 biobank managers and directors across the world. The survey contained questions regarding infrastructure investments, salary costs, funding options, types of biospecimen resources and services offered, as well as biospecimen pricing and service-related costs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 106 responses were received. The data were anonymized, aggregated, and used to create a comprehensive database of cost and pricing information that was integrated into the web-based tool, the BEMT. The BEMT was built to allow the user to input cost and pricing data through a seven-step process to build a cost profile for their biobank, define direct and indirect costs, determine cost recovery fees, perform financial forecasting, and query the anonymized survey data from comparable biobanks.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A survey was conducted to obtain a greater understanding of the costs involved in operating a biobank. The anonymized survey data was then used to develop the BEMT, a cost modeling tool for biobanks. Users of the tool will be able to create a cost profile for their biobanks' specimens, products and services, establish pricing, and allocate costs for biospecimens based on percent cost recovered, and perform project-specific cost analyses and financial forecasting.
authors.affiliation: 1 National Cancer Institute , Biorepositories and Biospecimen Research Branch (BBRB), Bethesda, Maryland.|2 Kelly Government Solutions , Rockville, Maryland.
authors.forename: Hana
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Odeh
authors.affiliation: 3 Biobusiness Consulting Inc. , Newburyport, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Miranda
authors.affiliation: 1 National Cancer Institute , Biorepositories and Biospecimen Research Branch (BBRB), Bethesda, Maryland.
authors.forename: Abhi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rao
authors.affiliation: 1 National Cancer Institute , Biorepositories and Biospecimen Research Branch (BBRB), Bethesda, Maryland.|4 Gray Sourcing , San Diego, California.
authors.forename: Jim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vaught
authors.affiliation: 5 Provia Laboratories LLC , Littleton, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Howard
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Greenman
authors.affiliation: 6 Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc. , Rockville, Maryland.
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: McLean
authors.affiliation: 7 Wrycan Inc. , Cambridge, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Reed
authors.affiliation: 1 National Cancer Institute , Biorepositories and Biospecimen Research Branch (BBRB), Bethesda, Maryland.
authors.forename: Sarfraz
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Memon
authors.affiliation: 1 National Cancer Institute , Biorepositories and Biospecimen Research Branch (BBRB), Bethesda, Maryland.|2 Kelly Government Solutions , Rockville, Maryland.
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Fombonne
authors.affiliation: 1 National Cancer Institute , Biorepositories and Biospecimen Research Branch (BBRB), Bethesda, Maryland.
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Guan
authors.affiliation: 1 National Cancer Institute , Biorepositories and Biospecimen Research Branch (BBRB), Bethesda, Maryland.
authors.forename: Helen M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Moore
mesh_terms: D000047:Academies and Institutes / Q000191:economics; D018070:Biological Specimen Banks / Q000191:economics* / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D016208:Databases, Factual; D005376:Financial Management; D020407:Internet; D018803:Models, Economic; D054547:National Cancer Institute (U.S.); D012984:Software; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D057170:Translational Research, Biomedical; D014481:United States