Lessons Learned from Biospecimen Shipping Among the Human Heredity and Health in Africa Biorepositories

Background: Biospecimen shipping and handling challenges in Africa include climates that can potentially jeopardize sample integrity, and infrastructure and regulation limitations that affect courier reliability, access, and costs. There is a lack of investigations reporting on validation of standardized processes for biospecimen exchange among African countries and regions. The Human Heredity and Health in Africa (H3Africa) Initiative funded four African biorepositories (BR) to pilot test operations, and assess effectiveness of trans-African shipment of high-quality DNA, and other biospecimens for genomics research. Pilot studies tested the following: workflows and forms related to biospecimen exchange, transport logistics, and comparability and confirmation of quality control (QC) methods. Methods: Ethical and legal requirements for biospecimen, and data transfer were acquired before shipment. Biospecimens were collected and subjected to QC by the BR of origin before shipment, and by the recipient BR on...