Standardized biomarker and biobanking requirements for personalized psychiatry

Abstract

With an increasing worldwide phenomenon of psychiatric disorders and treatment regimens with limited efficacy, personalized psychiatry is emerging as a best practice. Within this paradigm, genetic and other biological markers are integrated with clinical data to better define the heterogeneous nature of psychiatric disorders in terms of diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic response. Inherent challenges lie not only within the nature of the cohort, but also within the lack of standardization for collection, storage, and analyses of biospecimens and associated clinical data. Biobanks provide global research networks as a valuable resource in the discovery of key molecular signatures underlying mental health disorders. This chapter discusses the significant impact standardization of processes within biobanking and biomarker research will have in supporting advances in personalized psychiatry.