Governance Mechanisms and Population Biobanks : Building a Framework for Trust

Biobanks have become increasingly important for the study of health and disease. Population biobanks are resources for the study of common diseases. They link genetic data with information on health status, lifestyle and environmental factors. Public trust is vital to these biobanks, as they depend on the altruistic participation of individuals. To secure this trust and good will, population biobanks have put in place various governance mechanisms, for example, independent oversight committees and data access committees. In some countries, specific legislation has been enacted, while others rely on guidelines and existing general health, safety and data protection legislation. This article examines the importance of public legitimisation, why governance is important in the context of biobanks, and the governance mechanisms that biobanks currently use.