Standard preanalytical coding for biospecimens: defining the sample PREanalytical code.

BACKGROUND

Management and traceability of biospecimen preanalytical variations are necessary to provide effective and efficient interconnectivity and interoperability between Biobanks.

METHODS

Therefore, the International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories Biospecimen Science Working Group developed a "Standard PREanalytical Code" (SPREC) that identifies the main preanalytical factors of clinical fluid and solid biospecimens and their simple derivatives.

RESULTS

The SPREC is easy to implement and can be integrated into Biobank quality management systems and databases. It can also be extended to nonhuman biorepository areas. Its flexibility allows integration of new novel technological developments in future versions. SPREC version 01 is presented in this article.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPACT

Implementation of the SPREC is expected to facilitate and consolidate international multicenter biomarker identification research and biospecimen research in the clinical Biobank environment.