Founded during the Civil War as the Army Medical Museum, the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP) amassed the world's largest collection of human pathologic specimens and was considered a premier consultation, education, and research facility by the end of the 20th century. Samples from the AFIP were instrumental in helping to solve public health mysteries, such as the sequence of the genome of the 1918 influenza virus that killed more than 40 million people worldwide. In 2005, the federal Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommended that the AFIP be closed, and its biorepository was transferred to the newly created Joint Pathology Center. During the transition, the Department of Defense asked the IOM to provide advice on operating the biorepository, managing its collection, and determining appropriate future use of specimens for consultation, education, and research. Future Uses of the Department of Defense Joint Pathology Center Biorepository, the IOM proposes a series of protocols, standards, safeguards, and guidelines that could help to ensure that this national treasure continues to be available to researchers in the years to come, while protecting the privacy of the people who provided the materials and maintaining the security of their personal information.

Contents

• THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
• COMMITTEE ON THE REVIEW OF THE APPROPRIATE USE OF AFIP'S TISSUE REPOSITORY FOLLOWING ITS TRANSFER TO THE JOINT PATHOLOGY CENTER
• Reviewers
• Acknowledgments
• Summary
  • FRAMEWORK AND ORGANIZATION
  • THE STATE OF THE BIOREPOSITORY'S COLLECTION
  • CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
  • REFERENCES
• 1. Introduction and Background
  • ESTABLISHMENT AND HISTORY OF THE ARMED FORCES INSTITUTE OF PATHOLOGY AND THE JOINT PATHOLOGY CENTER
  • THE JOINT PATHOLOGY CENTER BIOREPOSITORY
  • ORIGIN OF THE STUDY AND STATEMENT OF TASK
  • THE COMMITTEE'S APPROACH TO ITS TASK
  • EARLIER REPORTS ADDRESSING ARMED FORCES INSTITUTE OF PATHOLOGY AND JOINT PATHOLOGY CENTER OPERATIONS
  • NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES REPORTS ADDRESSING RELATED TOPICS
  • ORGANIZATION OF THIS REPORT
  • REFERENCES
• 2. Determinants of the Research Value of Biospecimens
  • COLLECTION AND PRESERVATION OF BIOSPECIMENS
  • USES OF BIOSPECIMENS
  • TECHNOLOGIES USED TO MANAGE SPECIMEN ACQUISITION AND MANAGEMENT
  • TECHNOLOGIES USED TO ANALYZE SPECIMENS
  • LIMITATIONS IN THE USE OF PATHOLOGIC SAMPLES IN RESEARCH
  • REFERENCES
• 3. Ethical, Legal, and Regulatory Considerations
  • THE CHANGING ETHICAL, LEGAL, AND REGULATORY LANDSCAPE OF BIOREPOSITORIES
  • CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING THE SOURCE OF SPECIMENS
  • CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING RESEARCH ON DIAGNOSTIC SPECIMENS AND ASSOCIATED DATA
  • REFERENCES
• 4. Findings, Conclusions, and Recommendations
  • OPENING OBSERVATIONS AND GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS
  • RETENTION AND MAINTENANCE OF BIOSPECIMENS
  • USE OF BIOSPECIMENS IN CLINICAL CARE, EDUCATION, AND RESEARCH
  • REFERENCES
• APPENDIXES
  • Appendix A Public Meeting Agendas
  • Appendix B Contributor's Consultation Request Form Joint Pathology Center
  • Appendix C DoD Instruction 3216.02 Protection of Human Subjects and Adherence to Ethical Standards in DoD-Supported Research
  • Appendix D Biographic Sketches of Committee Members, Consultants, and Staff

This study was supported by Contract Award W91YTZ-10-R-0177 between the National Academy of Sciences and the U.S. Department of Defense. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the organizations or agencies that provided support for this project.

Suggested citation:

IOM (Institute of Medicine). 2012. Future uses of the Department of Defense Joint Pathology Center Biorepository. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.