The BIO-CONTEXT research team will undertake research on biobanking developments so as to elaborate on how biobanks have been developed in Greece and, more specifically, how different types of biobanks/biorepositories have positioned themselves in a biomedical/research/clinical landscape formed by publics, patients, researchers, regulators, research institutions, clinical facilities and industries. It will look at the ways in which biobanks are advanced through certain discourses about their present and future contributions. A further point of interest includes exploring the ways biobanks are functioning as enterprises in the so-called “bioeconomy” Our aim is to contextualize biobanking developments through three interrelated research strands, which are described below.
Histories: This research will produce a historical overview and mapping of biobanking in Greece. By employing a multi-method qualitative approach, studying archives and conducting interviews, we will identify medicine-related biorepositories in order to build a historical overview of their development. We intend to document both successful and failed initiatives. This strand also includes the mapping of biobanks in Greece, from the early 1990s onwards. This mapping will enable us to build a taxonomy according to their size, scope, institutional type, methods of attracting participant/donors, source of funding, economic valuation, and the degree of getting networked with other infrastructures. In the context of this strand, Katerina Vlantoni (PI) will work together with Yulie Foka-Kavalieraki.
Practices: This research strand will include two case studies, which are designed so as to zoom on the practices of two representative biobanks: a hospital-based biobank (disease specific) and a research-based biobank (providing bio-samples and bio-data for research). The practices to be considered include: the reaching to public/participants; institutional setting and organizational frameworks; standardizing and harmonizing activities; research exploitation. The mapping produced at the earlier stage of BIO-CONTEXT will allow us to validate the selection of the two biobanks to be further studied. In this strand, all the members of the BIO-CONTEXT team will work together (Katerina Vlantoni (PI), Yulie Foka-Kavalieraki and Giorgos Zoukas).
Discourses: To better understand the characteristics and the role of biobanks in the Greek context, it seems necessary to look at how the public discourse on biobanking has been shaped by the press and other media. We therefore aim at studying how issues of relevance to biobanks are discussed and debated publicly. We intend to do so by analysing empirical data that we plan to collect from different types of media sources (both print and online), such as newspapers, magazines and newsletters. Several studies have focused on “biobank engagement”, which has to do with the means through which donors, patients and the general public participate in biobanking activities. This participation guarantees the sustainability of the biobanks, e.g. by providing research material to a genetic database or by participating actively in the decision-making processes. There is, however, a shortage of studies on how people are attracted to biobanks, due to the way they are portrayed in the public sphere. What we know from very few pioneering studies suggests that the provision of information about biobanks that is publicly available and comprehensible is essential for enabling the public to become involved in biobank governance. These studies also suggest that the media favour heavily discussions of biobanking benefits over risks. In this strand, Katerina Vlantoni (PI) will work together with Giorgos Zoukas.