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Arizona Biospecimen Locator

A web-based biospecimen tracking and review management system to support the discovery and ordering of biospecimens

“Tissue is the issue” is among the loudest of common refrains heard from those committed to improving the pace of progress of translational research, both in Arizona and across the nation. Finding and acquiring quality biospecimens is one of the largest obstacles researchers face as they strive to advance medical science and improve patient care.

5AM is working with the Arizona Biomedical Research Commission (ABRC – www.azabrc.gov) to create a biospecimen locator that will import biospecimens from disparate biobanks and produce a centralized de-identified view of the biospecimens.

The Need

A centralized, web based biospecimen tracking system

The State of Arizona has valuable biospecimens (tissue, cell lines, DNA, RNA, blood, etc.) stored in hospitals and research facilities throughout the state. The ABRC sought a way to allow researchers to use the biospecimens; in order to do so, it needed a solution that would allow researchers to know that the biospecimens exist. The ABRC required a tool with the following key features:

De-identified, consistent, searchable view of key information about biospecimens from multiple sources
Biospecimen quality feedback mechanism
MTA management
Review process workflow support - Consortium members are involved in the research proposal and tissue approval process
Biospecimen shipping and tracking

What We did

5AM’s approach to meeting ABRC’s requirements is to create a flexible and extendable lightweight open source product. Using our Glassbox Software Development Process, we coordinated with stakeholders as they defined their workflow and requirements to develop the technical solution in an iterative manner, staying flexible and re-prioritizing requirements as the consortium continued to define itself. The consortium members met every month to discuss and determine the standard set of data about a biospecimen that should be made available (based on the data fields defined by the NCI’s Common Biorepository Model) and other standardization needs.

How We Do It

Our unique Glassbox^® Software Development Process minimizes the risk inherent in conventional custom software development and ensures the final deliverable meets the exacting requirements of all users:

Integrate the voice of the end user into the process
Enable client visibility into all stages of the development process
Provide production ready software at all stages

The Result

Software that works. The Arizona Biospecimen Locator will increase the visibility, quality, quantity, and population coverage of biospecimens to the research community, thereby increasing research collaborations inside and outside of Arizona and accelerating the progress of research. Arizona has access to populations of children, seniors, and Hispanic and Native Americans with both normal and diseased tissue that are rare and would contribute greatly to medical research and the advancement of science.

Contact Them...

Our clients are 100% reference-able - you can contact them to find out first-hand how 5AM works. 100% of our software is live, being used by life science professionals on a daily basis.

Here’s what one of our clients says about our software…

Dr. Mike Berens of TGen describes his experience as a client of 5AM Solutions
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“The speed with which they delivered was truly catalytic for getting big international projects moving real time, right now.”

caBIG^® Support Service Provider

5AM is licensed by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to adapt, enhance, and deploy caBIG^® software – we’re qualified and recognized to perform the unique customization required by ABRC. We share in the NCI’s effort to support translating research discoveries into clinical therapies, and we think software can make a difference.