Lexington, MA-based iSpecimen has introduced Marketplace 2.0, an upgrade to its Amazon-like platform that allows healthcare organizations to offer their biospecimen collections to researchers.
The online exchange is designed to close the specimen gap that prevents researchers from readily obtaining the biofluids, tissues, and cells they need to develop new therapeutics and diagnostics. Hospitals, labs, biobanks, and other healthcare organizations, many fighting for financial sustainability, are leaving revenue on the table and falling short of their missions by letting specimens lie idle or be thrown away, according to privately held iSpecimen.
Since its launch last year, hundreds of institutions have signed on as marketplace users, collectively conducting thousands of searches across millions of patients and samples available for research. Initially providing access to one million banked samples, the iSpecimen Marketplace now provides access to 25 million clinical remnants annually.
“Healthcare organizations are increasingly called upon to share the millions of specimens they handle with researchers who desperately need them for their vital work,” said iSpecimen founder and CEO Christopher Ianelli, M.D., Ph.D. “Historically, though, sharing has been complex and difficult, even within an institution’s own walls. iSpecimen Marketplace 2.0 significantly advances our mission of making it simple for both sides to connect, discover, and share.”
The latest updates include:
- Automated order management
- Easy onboarding
- Improved workflow
- Guided research
- Order tracking
- Specific specimen requests
The iSpecimen Marketplace also manages compliance with federal regulations such as HIPAA and the Department of Health & Human Services’ Common Rule as part of the matching process. Users can download and view compliance documentation on a per-specimen basis, including consent templates and Institutional Review Board (IRB) approvals.
The enhanced platform remains free for researchers and suppliers to join.
(Source: iSpecimen)
