The Pediatric Biospecimen Innovation Center (PBIC) was created in 2023, with the mission to serve as an interdisciplinary bridge between subject matter experts and investigators to improve the quality of biospecimen-driven research and accelerate biomarker discovery into faster and readily reproducible applications.

FOCUS

The PBIC is committed to the development and validation of biospecimen best practices to broaden the research scope across unmet basic science and clinical science needs in pediatric medicine. Best practices include our dedicated research efforts in synergy with evidence-based literature to develop peer-accepted and peer-adopted practices.

• Research efforts in synergy with evidence-based literature to develop peer-accepted and peer-adopted practices.
• Minimization of sample volume.
• Establishment of downstream protocols that exhibit reproducibility across multiple institutions (enhance access to high-quality biospecimens & related data).
• Responsive to evolving population health dynamics, grant funding opportunities and scientific advances within methodologies and technologies.
• Responsive to ethical considerations related to biospecimen science and innovation in pediatric setting.

Impact is measured by dissemination of research output from both publications and presentations of center-driven research, and translation of discoveries into clinical practice.

Major Aims

1. To expedite return on investment (ROI) for pediatric biospecimens and their associated data elements.

2. To develop innovative new methods, testing algorithms, and ethical legal and social issues (ELSI) related to pediatric biobanking.

3. To educate the next generation of interdisciplinary scientists involved in clinical and translational research.

4. To advance pediatric biomarker discovery by fostering collaborative relationships between industry and academic areas of opportunities.

The PBIC encompasses 6 major aspects of biospecimen science and innovation that focus on scholarly work (publications), grants (philanthropic, government, industry), Ethical Legal and Social Implications (ELSI), as well as innovation (IP generation), and commercialization (industry agreements), rather than the operational capabilities.

Current Projects

• Unique biospecimen collection and high-complexity processing development (e.g. patient-centric sampling).
• Third-generation sequencing methodology development.
• Geospatial Biobank Mapping of specimen lifecycles.
• Pre-analytical variation in epigenetic studies.
• Application of pan-omics approaches in clinical cohort studies.
• Metagenomic deep sequencing of banked longitudinal pediatric saliva for both pharmacogenomics and evaluation of prokaryotic shifts in the microbiome.
  

Core Team

• William Schleif, PhD, MS, MT (Co-Director) Scientific Director, JHAC Pediatric Biorepository and Tissue Based Diagnosis and Research Core; Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, JHU SOM
• Vera Ignjatovic, PhD, MBA (Co-Director) Principal Consultant (Translational Research), Institute of Clinical and Translational at JHACH; Adjunct Professor of Pediatrics, JHU SOM
• Hector Monforte, MD Section Chief, Anatomic Pathology; Medical Director, JHAC Pediatric Biorepository, and Tissue Based Diagnosis and Research Core, JHACH
• Neil Goldenberg, MD, PhD Associate Dean for Research at JHACH; Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine, JHU SOM
• Cassandra Josephson, MD Director, JHAC Cancer and Blood Disorders Institute; Professor of Oncology, JHU SOM
• Martin Trapecar, PhD Institute for Fundamental Biomedical Research at JHACH; Assistant Professor of Medicine Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, JHU SOM
• Rui Zhou, PhD Institute for Fundamental Biomedical Research at JHACH; Cancer and Blood Disorders Institute; Assistant Professor of Medicine, Biological Chemistry and Oncology, JHU SOM