The Challenge of Sustaining a Hospital-Based Biobank and Core Molecular Laboratory: The Beaumont Experience George D. Wilson, Kirsten D’Angelo, Barbara L Pruetz, Timothy J. Geddes, Dianna M. Larson, and Jan Akervall The Beaumont Health System BioBank was established in 2008, not only to leverage the potential to collect biospecimens for translational research, but to undertake such research in a seamless facility that combined high quality biobanking with state-of-the-art laboratory platforms geared towards biospecimen-based research. This report describes the challenge of sustaining a hospital-based biobank with an operating budget exceeding $1,000,000 in a financial climate that favors short-term fiscal goals rather than long-term scientific ambitions. Some of the key areas that are discussed include grants, philanthropy, accreditation, process improvement and commercialization of samples and services. We conclude that grants are not a feasible avenue, in our case, to support a biobank and that philanthropy and commercialization represent the best options for external funding to support stalling internal support, in order to sustain the operations of the BioBank. Introduction B iobanking is an increasingly important endeavor on the road to personalized medicine, which is taking place in hospitals, clinics, public and private research laboratories, and in the biotechnology, diagnostic, or pharmaceutical in- dustries. 1–3 There is no universal definition of a biobank as they can be large or small, privately or publicly held, for profit or not-for-profit, specialized or multidisciplinary, purely a distribution center for specimens or a research facility in their own right. The Beaumont BioBank is a not-for-profit, multidisciplinary, stand-alone translational research facility that was developed to foster research in a large, academic, non-university-affiliated hospital system. 4 The ideology was built upon investigator driven research that stems from real clinical questions. In order to allow principal investigators (PIs) to perform translational research in a quick, efficient, and productive way, we developed a model that combined high quality, well-annotated biobanking across multiple clinical specialties with state-of-the-art technologies to un- dertake laboratory analysis all under one roof. Like many biobanks, the Beaumont BioBank was devel- oped with research as its primary goal, and sustainability and commercialization were not considered during the ini- tial growth and development of the facility. Financial Aspects of the Beaumont BioBank The BioBank was created through three sources of reve- nue. The first was a substantial philanthropic donation from one single private donor of $2,000,000 for research into chronic diseases including cancer, heart, and neurological disorders; the second was a congressional earmark of $500,000; and the third was institutional support from the Beaumont Research Institute of $700,000. These funds en- abled the refurbishment of the four original laboratory and office spaces. From the outset, a key component of the Beaumont BioBank was the development of integrated core facilities that could undertake research based around the biospecimen collections. We remodeled four adjacent areas to create BioBank Informatics Offices (444 ft 2 ) and four laboratories that are associated with the Erb Family Mole- cular and Genetics Laboratory. These included the BioBank/ Molecular Pathology Core (999 ft 2 ), the Genomics Labora- tory (337 ft 2 ), the Advanced Microscopy Core Facility (168 ft 2 ) and the Proteomic Laboratory (376 ft 2 ). The cost of remodeling was approximately $400,000 and included considerable electrical, data, and HVAC additions and al- terations, as well as some structural modifications to the spaces. The cost for the initial outlay for equipment was in the region of $2,800,000. A list of the original equipment can be found in Akervall et al. 4 The BioBank was officially opened in October 2008 with just two full-time staff members, a Laboratory Manager and Associate Nurse Manager. The original operating budget was $174,942 per annum, which covered all salaries, sup- plies, service contracts, and general services. The budget rose to $500,103 in 2009 to accommodate the addition of six new members of staff, including a senior laboratory Beaumont BioBank, William Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, Michigan. BIOPRESERVATION AND BIOBANKING Volume 12, Number 5, 2014 ª Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. DOI: 10.1089/bio.2014.0049 306