iSpecimen® Announces Data Connector Program to Seamlessly Connect Biospecimen Providers to the iSpecimen Marketplace

LEXINGTON, Mass., Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- iSpecimen today announced the iSpecimen Data Connector Program, an initiative that enables health-care organizations to seamlessly connect their sample and data management systems to the iSpecimen Marketplace, making it easier than ever to offer their biospecimens to researchers. 

The program provides off-the-shelf data connectors for a wide range of popular medical record systems, including laboratory information management systems (LIMS), laboratory information systems (LIS), and integrated electronic medical record (EMR) systems. Participating software vendors will receive up-front technology development support to interface their systems with the iSpecimen Marketplace, as well as marketing support to increase awareness of the combined solution.

(iSpecimen separately announced that Genohm has partnered with iSpecimen through the Data Connector Program.)

By connecting their data and specimen inventories to the iSpecimen Marketplace, biorepositories and health-care providers gain new sources of revenue through broad access to researchers around the world who need samples. Researchers can visit the iSpecimen Marketplace and instantly search the entire network for the specimens they need, using precise inclusion and exclusion criteria and reducing the time and costs of specimen procurement. The iSpecimen Marketplace also simplifies contracting, compliance, and order management for all participants.

Sample surplus of millions

Approximately 300 million biospecimens are stored in biorepositories around the United States alone, according to the U.S. Biobank Survey. The survey reported that the vast majority of the biorepositories in the survey (91 percent) cite sustainability as a concern while 69 percent worry about under-utilization of their samples. iSpecimen further estimates that an additional 800 million health-care encounters occur yearly in the U.S. by philanthropic patients willing to provide samples for research.

"Biorepositories and other health-care organizations need more operating revenue, more awareness for their biospecimen collections, and an easy way to connect to researchers who desperately need samples," said Christopher Ianelli, MD, PhD, Founder and CEO, iSpecimen. "The iSpecimen Marketplace helps solve these problems by connecting healthcare organizations who have samples to the researchers who need them. Through our Data Connector Program and integration with the iSpecimen Marketplace, participating LIMS, LIS and EMR vendors gain more value to offer their customers."

Program open to all

The iSpecimen Data Connector Program is open to all major vendors of LIMS, LIS, EMR systems, and databases that manage biospecimen data. iSpecimen has already created connectors to systems such as Genohm SLIMs, OpenSpecimen, Forte OnCore, MEDITECH, Sunquest, and Epic Beaker, as well as to databases such as Oracle, Microsoft Access, and Microsoft Excel.

"Especially in this precision medicine era, researchers have a constant need for more human biospecimens with increasing specificity but they have a hard time finding them," said Ianelli. "Yet many samples are lying idle in biorepositories around the world and even more patients want to donate new specimens to research. We want to help organizations maximize the value of these priceless resources and fulfill their mission of advancing medical discoveries."

About iSpecimen
Headquartered in Lexington, MA, iSpecimen is the marketplace for human biospecimens, providing researchers with the specimens they need from the patients they want. The privately held company has developed the iSpecimen Marketplace, an online platform connecting healthcare organizations that have access to patients and specimens with the scientists who need them. Proprietary, cloud-based technology enables researchers to intuitively search for specimens and patients across a federated partner network of hospitals, labs, biobanks, blood centers, and other healthcare organizations. Researchers easily and compliantly gain access to specimens to drive scientific discovery. Partner sites gain an opportunity to contribute to biomedical discovery as well as their bottom line. And ultimately, healthcare advances for all. For more information about iSpecimen, please visit www.ispecimen.com.

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SOURCE iSpecimen